Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s clear statement earlier Sunday at the cabinet meeting that Israel rejects the 15-point document and will not withdraw from Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed, Channel 14 has learned that Israel’s security establishment is preparing to significantly reduce troop levels in the Gaza Strip.
1+The scale of the planned drawdown is expected to be so extensive that it would nearly return force levels to what they were before the October 7 massacre. Currently, two divisions operate in Gaza: the organic Gaza Division and the 99th Reserve Division, which has rotated with the 252nd Division over the past year.
After several months in which the 99th Division has carried out its missions, it now appears that when its current service period ends, no other division will replace it. This move will result in the Gaza Division becoming the sole division operating in the Strip.
1+The Gaza Division is a territorial division that includes two brigades—northern and southern—supplemented by additional battalions and brigades that reinforce it in the field. Still, it’s clear beyond any doubt that such a significant reduction in force levels points to a clear direction regarding the future of combat and control in Gaza, at least in the near term.