An American official hinted at the beginning of a gradual shift in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, as they will be less intense, while Israel warned that the war in Gaza will continue “throughout” 2024, as it will continue its bombing of the besieged Strip and missile attacks on Tel Aviv.

A US official said on Monday that Israel's decision to withdraw some of its forces from Gaza appears to be the beginning of a gradual shift to less intense operations in the northern Palestinian enclave, despite the continuing fighting there.

The official added to Reuters: “This appears to be the beginning of a gradual shift towards less intense operations in the north, which we were encouraging, which reflects the success achieved by the Israeli army in dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities there. However, I would like to warn against the continuation of fighting in the north, and this is not the case.” “It reflects any change (of the situation) in the south.”

Residents said that Israel withdrew its tanks from some neighborhoods of Gaza City today while announcing plans to change its methods and reduce the number of its soldiers, but fighting raged in other places in the Strip amid intense bombardment.

For its part, Israel warned that the war with Hamas in Gaza would continue “throughout” 2024 after New Year’s Eve witnessed continuous bombing operations on the besieged Strip and rocket attacks on Tel Aviv.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening that some reserve soldiers will take a break from the war to prepare for “prolonged combat operations.”

He added: "The Israeli army must make its plans in advance because we will be asked to carry out additional missions and battles throughout this year."

The Israeli air strikes have not subsided, nor have the ground battles in the Gaza Strip stopped, while despair prevails among the residents of the besieged Strip who suffer from the daily repercussions of the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Saturday that the war would continue for “several months,” renewing his pledge to eliminate the Palestinian movement.

In its attack on the Gaza Strip settlements on October 7, Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis, wounded about 5,431, and captured at least 239. It exchanged dozens of them with Israel during a temporary humanitarian truce that lasted seven days and ended in early December. .

Since then, the Israeli army has been waging a war on Gaza, which, as of Monday, has left 21,978 killed and 57,697 injured, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.