US national security spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, US, March 25, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
National Security Spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday that it was Israel’s decision to withdraw some troops South Gaza does not appear to indicate a change in military strategy.
“As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it’s really about rest and refit for these troops who are on the ground for four months, and it’s not – that we can tell – that indicates some new operations coming up,” Kirby said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “The word we’re getting is they’re tired, they need to be refitted.”
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that it had “completed the mission” in the Southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and would reduce its military troops in that region “to recover and prepare for future operations.”
The move comes six months since the October 7 attack by Hamas. The Biden administration has heated up its rhetoric against the Israeli military’s behavior, which was sparked by an Israeli air strike that killed seven workers at the charity World Central Kitchen.
In a phone call on Thursday, President Joe Biden Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes and the humanitarian consequences of the war were “unacceptable,” according to a White House summary. He also emphasized that the future of US policy will be determined by Israel’s “immediate” action in addressing civilian casualties and humanitarian suffering.
“We’re getting more and more frustrated,” Kirby said Sunday.
However, he added in a separate interview, that after the IDF forces left Khan Younis had finished “resting and refitting,” the White House did not know what the military’s next move would be.
Some national security experts see this as a possible inflection point in the war, though the direction of that turn remains unclear.
“I think this is a turning point in the Gaza campaign,” Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at security consultancy Le Beck International, told NBC News.
He said that for now, troops will not move in to replace the withdrawing forces in Khan Younis, possibly signaling a more targeted military approach, which the US has been calling for for months. He added that replacing those troops could mean “Israel launching a new offensive, against Rafah, for example.”
“What they’re going to do with those troops after the rest and refit, I can’t speak to,” Kirby said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “All I can do is say what I said before: We don’t support a major ground operation in Rafah. That has not changed.”
