Israeli army reorganizes forces, withdraws infantry from southern Gaza Strip

On April 7, an Israeli military spokesman said the country's army had withdrawn its infantry from the southern Gaza Strip, except for one brigade.

The Israeli military statement did not detail the plan.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Nahal brigade will remain in the central Gaza Strip to divide the territory into two areas and prevent civilians from the south from returning to the north of Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reorganized its forces around Gaza after new security zones were established, according to Israel's state-run Kan TV.

The Israeli military will now focus on intelligence-based raids and build up its forces in preparation to return to Gaza if necessary.

The move comes as Egypt prepares to hold a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and a hostage release agreement.

According to the Gaza Strip's health authority, since the conflict broke out in Gaza in October 2023, 33,175 Palestinians have been killed and 75,886 injured.

Meanwhile, on the Israeli side, statistics show 1,170 people were killed, mostly civilians.

In response to the attack that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently announced that Australia will appoint an independent special adviser to scrutinize the official investigation into the attack.

Foreign Minister Wong said that so far, the information provided by Israel about the airstrike was insufficient and that Australia's special adviser would be responsible for monitoring the Israeli investigation.

Earlier, an airstrike mistakenly hit a convoy of foreign aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in the center of the Gaza Strip, killing seven people including British, Australian, Polish, Palestinian and American-Canadian nationals. This incident met with strong opposition from the international community.

On April 5, the Israeli military said an investigation showed that Israeli forces had carried out airstrikes on three vehicles belonging to the aid organization World Central Kitchens, mistaking the targets for members of the Islamist movement Hamas. However, they violated standard procedures.

The Israeli army has decided to fire a brigade commander with the rank of colonel and a brigade fire support officer with the rank of major. Several senior officers, including the head of the Southern Command, have been reprimanded.