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Israel Begins Withdrawing Ground Troops From Gaza

August 03, 2014
by RFE/RL

Israel has begun withdrawing some ground troops from the Gaza Strip but air strikes have continued, killing dozens of Palestinians.

Palestinian medics say at least 10 people have been killed and another 35 wounded in a fresh air strike on a UN-run school housing Palestinians displaced by the Gaza conflict.

A UN official said the school in the southern town of Rafah sheltered some 3,000 internally displaced people.

Gaza health officials say some 30 Palestinians were killed in fighting on August 3, while militants continue to fire rockets into Israel.

While fighting continued, several Israeli tanks and other military vehicles were seen leaving Gaza on August 3.

An Israeli army spokesperson said most of its combat troops were back in Israeli territory by the morning.

It is the first time Israeli troops had been seen pulling back since the start of the Israeli operation on July 8.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on August 2 that troops would reassess the operation after completing the demolition of Hamas military tunnels under the border.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on August 3 for indirect cease-fire talks with Israel to be conducted through Egyptian and U.S. officials.

Israel said on August 2 that it would not send envoys as scheduled, accusing Palestinian Islamists of misleading international mediators.

A cease-fire brokered by the United States and the United Nations broke down within hours on August 1, with Hamas and Israel blaming each other for its failure.

The two sides' positions remain far apart. Israel says it wants Gaza demilitarized under any long-term arrangement.

Hamas is demanding that Israel withdraw its troops, and that the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza be lifted.

More than 1,700 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since Israel began its offensive in Gaza.

On the Israeli side, the fighting claimed the lives of 67 people, most of them soldiers.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 520,000 people have been displaced by the fighting -– more than a quarter of Gaza's population.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/israel-gaza-withdrawing-troops/25479349.html

Copyright (c) 2014. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.