White House says Israeli troop reduction does not signal new strategy: 'They're tired'

• National Security Spokesman John Kirby said that Israel's decision to pull some troops out of Southern Gaza does not appear to indicate a shift in military strategy.
• The Israel Defense Forces announced that it was pulling troops out of the Southern Gaza city of Khan Younis "in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations."
• It is unclear whether the Israeli move reflects an easing of military pressure or preparation for a new operation elsewhere.

National Security Spokesman John Kirby on Sunday said that Israel's decision to pull some troops out of Southern Gaza does not appear to indicate a shift in military strategy.

"As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it is really just about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months, and not necessarily — that we can tell — indicative of some coming new operation," 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 Sunday that it had "concluded its mission" in the Southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and that it would reduce its military troops in that region "in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations."

The move comes six months since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The Biden administration has heated up its rhetoric against Israel's military conduct, sparked by an Israeli air strike that killed seven aid workers with the charity World Central Kitchen.

In a phone call on Thursday, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the strikes and the humanitarian circumstances in the war are "unacceptable," according to a White House summary. He also emphasized that the future of U.S.