The command of the Israeli occupation forces has withdrawn multiple battalions from the Gaza Strip, aiming to provide them with a brief period of respite following substantial losses incurred in December.
The 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade, part of the Israeli occupation forces, has withdrawn from the Gaza Strip due to significant losses suffered during a well-executed ambush in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood. On December 12, seven Golani troops, including two high-ranking officers, lost their lives in the ambush carried out by Resistance fighters.
Among the casualties were Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg, the commander of the 13th Battalion, and Colonel Izhak Ben Basat, the head of the Golani Brigade chief’s forward command team. Lt. Col. Grinberg, previously captured on video rallying his troops in the northern Gaza Strip with promises of victory, fell victim to the ambush. Major Roei Meldasi, a company commander, also lost his life in the same attack.
In the aftermath of the historic ambush that claimed the lives of soldiers and officers from both Golani’s 51st and 13th Battalion, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) made the decision to withdraw the battered 13th Battalion from the Gaza Strip. The retreat was deemed necessary for the unit to “regroup and rest” following the significant losses incurred during the engagement.
