The IDF has announced a change in operations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military says it is entering a less intense phase of its war against Hamas, relying on more surgical missions after months of heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari told The New York Times on Monday that small groups of soldiers would carry out one-off attacks rather than large-scale operations. It was seen at the beginning of the war in the Palestinian territories. "The war has changed the situation and that transition will not be polite," Hagari told the NYT. "It's not about dramatic announcements."

Israeli military operations have previously focused on northern Gaza, but will continue to move south to towns such as Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, the admiral said. He noted that more humanitarian aid is expected to arrive in the besieged region, where human rights groups and international organizations including the United Nations have warned of shortages of essential goods such as food, fuel, and medicine.

At another press conference on Monday, Hagari explained that while there are still "terrorist agents and weapons" in northern Gaza, "they are not operating in an organized military framework, and now we are acting in a [different] way here.". Other forces.”

Israel has reduced its troops previously stationed in the northern Gaza Strip by more than half from 50,000, according to an anonymous US official cited by The New York Times. Other administration aides also told the newspaper that the transition should be completed by the end of January, citing separate conversations between US and Israeli officials.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made the same statement in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, saying the IDF is moving from the "intense maneuver phase of the war" to "different types of special operations." However, he later revealed that the change is imminent and has yet to happen. "We have to consider a large number of our citizens," Gallant told the magazine, adding that change "will take some time."

The latest conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and at least another 240 were taken prisoner by Palestinian militants. The IDF responded with massive airstrikes and massive ground attacks over several months, leaving much of the territory in ruins and killing more than 23,000 people, according to local health officials. As a result of the war, nearly two million Palestinians were driven from their homes.