Washington DC, United States

The United States called the sudden withdrawal of the Israeli military's troops from the southern Gaza Strip a "rest and refit" plan and not something which indicates any new operations. 

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White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, in an interview with ABC News, said, "As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it is really just about rest and refit for these troops ... and not necessarily that we can tell indicative of some coming new operation for these troops." 

Also Read: Israeli military withdraws most troops from southern Gaza, says IDF spokesperson

Earlier, the Israeli military announced that it is withdrawing troops from south Gaza and that there will be only one brigade six months after the Israel-Hamas war started in the wake of the October 7 attack by the militant group on Israel.

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Israel needs to make more changes: US 

Speaking about the timeline of statements issued by US President Joe Biden and others over the Israel-Hamas war, Kirby said, “I’m glad you brought that timeline up because it shows the degree … the growing degree of frustration that we’ve had with the way these operations are being prosecuted and the way that Israelis are acting on the ground in terms of civilian casualties."

“So we have been increasingly frustrated. And again, that was a core message that the president delivered to Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu in their phone call this … past week … that they’ve got to do more, they’ve got to make changes,” he added.

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Kirby said that Netanyahu on Sunday (April 7) “assured” Biden that he will make changes in the military operations of Israel.

Watch: Ready for face off: Israel | IDF removes forces from South Gaza

“We’ve seen some announcements in those early hours, that’s welcome. We’ve got to see more. We’ve got to see it over time," said Kirby.

The withdrawal of troops took place days after seven international foreign aid workers, belonging to the World Central Kitchen, were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.