Netanyahu Takes Heat For Troop Withdrawal From Southern Gaza

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under fire following the announcement Sunday that Israel Defense Forces withdrew most of its troops from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The move came at the six-month mark of Iranian-backed Hamas' terrorist attack on Oct. 7 in southern Israel that resulted in the massacre of more than 1,200 Israeli citizens, with another 250 being taken hostage.

Sky News reported the death of six foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver in Gaza last week "changed everything" ahead of the IDF withdrawal. But Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said troops were withdrawn to prepare for future missions, including in the southern city of Rafah, which is Hamas' last stronghold.

Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed the decision to withdraw the troops, calling on Netanyahu to begin a fresh ground assault in Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering.

"If the Prime Minister decides to end the war without an extensive attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as Prime Minister," Ben-Gvir wrote Monday in a post on X translated from Hebrew.

Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded in a letter Monday that Netanyahu immediately convene Israel's National Security Cabinet, the statutory body with the authority to make policy decisions regarding the war, The Jerusalem Post reported.

"The only forum that is authorized to make decisive decisions during wartime is the broad [National Security] cabinet, but unfortunately, this is not how things have worked and we see decisions being made by the small [war] cabinet without approval and without updating the broad cabinet, under international pressures that harm the war's momentum and our security interests," Smotrich wrote.

Israeli civilians reportedly took to the streets in Jerusalem last weekend to demand release of the hostages and to pressure the government to reach a cease-fire deal. But Hamas continues to balk at any cease-fire deal involving the release of hostages.

Netanyahu said Monday a date has been set for the military operation in Rafah, according to Reuters, without disclosing that date as a new round of cease-fire talks take place in Cairo.

"Today, I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo, we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas," Netanyahu said. "This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date."

• Israel's Netanyahu Says 'There Is a Date' for Rafah Invasion