War between Israel and Hamas: what to remember from Sunday April 7
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
After six months of conflict in the Middle East, Israel withdrew its troops on Sunday April 7 from the south of the Gaza Strip, notably from the town of Khan Younes, after months of fierce fighting against Hamas. These fighting caused a humanitarian catastrophe and earned Israel a round of criticism, including from its Western allies. Franceinfo summarizes what you need to remember from this day.
“Today, Sunday, April 7, the 98th Commando Division of the Israeli army completed its mission in Khan Yunis. The division left the Gaza Strip in order (…) to prepare for future operations”, declared the Israeli army in a press release sent to AFP. The army specified that a “significant force” would continue to operate in the small Palestinian territory according to its strategic needs, in the seventh month of a devastating war waged by Israel against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“From what we understand, and from their public announcements, this is actually a period of rest and fitness for these troops who have been on the ground for four months”said John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, on ABC.
As a result of this withdrawal, the Palestinians displaced from Khan Younes, only a part of the displaced, can now theoretically return home after having found refuge in Rafah, further south near the closed border with Egypt. On Sunday, an AFP photographer saw dozens of people leaving Rafah towards Khan Younes, on foot, by car or on carts pulled by donkeys.
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