Reports: Israeli army preparing to redeploy forces near Gaza after elections
Reports say the army will reduce its presence beyond four kilometres from the Gaza border two days after the elections, while ceasefire violations and civilian casualties continue.
Reports said on Monday, October 12, that the Israeli army plans to redeploy its forces in the settlements bordering the Gaza Strip two days after the elections, including reducing the number of troops in areas more than four kilometres from the border.
The reports said the plan includes keeping reserve forces inside the settlements closest to the Strip, along with a review of security arrangements around Gaza intended to maintain the forces’ readiness to deal with any potential field developments.
Separate reports indicated that a U.S. company, working on behalf of an entity concerned with peace initiatives, has made arrangements to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days to identify two or three sites where Hamas could hand over weapons and combat materiel to be destroyed. That step was described as one phase of a peace plan attributed to former U.S. President Donald Trump that includes disarming Hamas.
On the ground, ceasefire violations continued in the Strip, with reports saying two Palestinians were killed and four others wounded on Monday after shelling targeted a security post in the Maawiya area of al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.
The reports added that the toll since last night rose to five killed and about 15 wounded as a result of two separate strikes west of Khan Younis and in Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip.
Areas south of Khan Younis were hit by artillery fire, alongside heavy gunfire and continuous drone flights over the area, while the southern parts of the Strip are experiencing rising security tensions amid fears the military operations could widen despite the standing ceasefire.
