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The Israeli military says it will withdraw some of its reservists from the Gaza Strip as its ground operations continue in the enclave.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters on Sunday, “Some of the reservists will return to their families and employment this week.”

He added, “This will significantly ease the burden on the economy and allow them to gather strength for the upcoming activities in the next year.”

Major Israeli media outlet Haaretz reported that the military had already withdrawn some units and plans to pull out additional troops depending on the situation.

Israel mobilized 360,000 reservists in response to the October attack by the Islamic group Hamas.
But the move has raised concerns that labor shortages could affect the domestic economy.

Observers say the military is likely to reduce the size of its troop deployment in Gaza, as it anticipates a lengthy battle.

Israeli’s ground and air offensives continued in Gaza on Sunday. Health authorities in the strip said on the same day that 150 people had died over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in the enclave to 21,822 since the start of the current conflict.

Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a social media post on Monday that it had carried out rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and surrounding areas in Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces responded on social media saying that Hamas “decided to start 2024 by launching a barrage of rockets at Israel.”

The IDF added that there will be no “happy” New Year until all the hostages held by the Islamic group return home.

source https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240101_11/