Israel announces partial withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip. Only a few hundred men would remain deployed in the enclave.
The redeployment of forces does not explicitly imply that Benjamin Netanyahu's government has given up on launching a full-blown attack in Rafah, in the south. “We are one step away from victory,” the Prime Minister declared on Sunday, before specifying: “There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages’” The U.S. and Europeans have increased warnings in recent weeks against a large-scale operation.