Israel Pulls All Troops Out of Gaza
In light of the 72-hour cease-fire that began this morning, Israel says it's pulled all of its troops out of Gaza. Gen. Moti Almoz said, "There were a number of forces inside. But all of them have left." Israel and Hamas will now try to reach a long-term peace deal in Cairo.
The Israeli army says it has destroyed all of Hamas's tunnels, which was a main goal of the offensive. The army also announced it succeeded in killing 900 "terrorists." At least 1,834 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began on July 8th.
The BBC reports that the Israeli army has now been moved to defensive positions inside Israel. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told The New York Times, "We will continue to maintain defensive positions from the air, the coast and the ground outside the Gaza Strip." He noted that previous cease-fires have collapsed and said what the army does next "all depends on what happens."
[Image via AP]