The Israeli army on Friday announced the redeployment of three of its military divisions at several fronts in the Gaza Strip in preparation for the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.
In a statement, the army said its 162nd, 143rd and 99th divisions were deployed “to strengthen the defense for civilians living in the western Negev” area and Israel in general.
It noted that the redeployment measure in Gaza comes in preparation for the next step of the ceasefire agreement with the Hamas group.
The statement did not specify the exact locations of the redeployment. However, under the ceasefire agreement, on the 22nd day of its implementation, the Israeli army is required to withdraw from central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor, which separates the north from the south, to an area near the Gaza border.
On Thursday, Israeli media reported that an Israeli negotiating team will travel to Qatar on Saturday to restart talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.
A ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19 in Gaza, halting Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.