Israel's army said several thousand troops would be taken out of Gaza in the coming weeks, though it has not said publicly whether the withdrawal reflects a new phase of the war. The move is in line with the plans that Israeli leaders have outlined for a low-intensity campaign, expected to last for much of the year, that focuses on remaining Hamas strongholds.

Still, fierce fighting was ongoing Tuesday in central and southern Gaza. Most of Gaza鈥檚 2.3 million people have fled to the southern portion of , with more than 85% of the population driven from their homes.

About 1,200 people were killed after Hamas on Oct. 7, with .

More than 21,900 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the , which doesn鈥檛 differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

Currently:

鈥 Israel鈥檚 Supreme Court of Netanyahu鈥檚 polarizing judicial overhaul.

鈥 The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is defending Israel.

鈥 An Israeli who fought Hamas for 2 months and stealing weapons

鈥 U.S. Navy helicopters fire at Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels, killing several in the .

鈥 Find more of AP's coverage at: .

Here's what's happening in the war:

U.S. SLAMS 鈥業RRESPONSIBLE' COMMENTS OF FAR-RIGHT ISRAELI MINISTERS

The Biden administration has spoken out against the comments of two far-right Israeli ministers who recently called for Palestinians to be resettled outside of Gaza.

In a statement Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir鈥檚 comments 鈥渋nflammatory and irresponsible.鈥

On Sunday, Smotrich, Israel鈥檚 far-right finance minister, said Israel should 鈥渆ncourage migration鈥 from Gaza and re-establish Jewish settlements in the territory, where it withdrew settlers and soldiers in 2005. Ben Gvir has made similar comments about resettling Palestinians.

Miller said Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have 鈥渞epeatedly鈥 told the U.S. leaders that 鈥渟uch statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government.鈥

鈥淕aza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel,鈥 Miller said.

HAMAS OFFICIAL WHO LED WEST BANK OPERATIONS KILLED IN BEIRUT

BEIRUT 鈥 Hamas and Hezbollah officials say top Hamas official Saleh Arouri has been killed in an explosion in a southern Beirut suburb.

Arouri, one of the founders of Hamas鈥 military wing, had led the group鈥檚 presence in the West Bank. Israel鈥檚 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill him even before the Hamas-Israel war began on Oct. 7.

Israeli officials declined to comment about the Tuesday evening blast. Lebanon鈥檚 state-run 春色直播 News Agency said it killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone.

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS 鈥業NCORRECT鈥 THAT WAR WILL END SOON

JERUSALEM 鈥 Israel鈥檚 defense minister says it is 鈥渋ncorrect鈥 to think that Israel will halt its war against Hamas anytime soon.

Yoav Gallant鈥檚 comments came a day after the military said it was pulling out several thousand troops from Gaza in the biggest drawdown of forces since the war erupted nearly three months ago. The redeployment comes as Israel prepares to enter a new phase of lower-intensity fighting.

During a visit to troops inside Gaza, Gallant said it would be a mistake to think that Israel is planning on halting the war.

鈥淭he feeling that we will stop soon is incorrect,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ithout a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East.鈥

Gallant said Israel has destroyed 12 Hamas battalions in northern Gaza. He said this does not mean Hamas has been eliminated altogether, but its capabilities are limited. He estimated that several thousand fighters are left, out of 15,000 to 18,000 at the outset of the war.

But in southern Gaza, he said 鈥渢he reality is different鈥 and Israel is still fighting a tougher battle. Israel believes Hamas鈥 leaders are hiding in the area.

HAMAS LEADER THANKS SOUTH AFRICA FOR GENOCIDE CASE

BEIRUT, Lebanon 鈥 Hamas鈥 supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has thanked South Africa for launching a case at the United Nations鈥 top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

鈥淲e greet all those who support us, especially the state of South Africa,鈥 Haniyeh said in a televised address broadcast on Al-Jazeera. 鈥淎nd we appreciate the political and legal importance of this complaint.鈥

Haniyeh also rejected U.S. and Israeli demands that Hamas will not have a role in the future of Gaza after the war, saying any solution of the Palestinian cause without Hamas 鈥渁re mere illusions.鈥

鈥淲e are the ones who decide our present and future,鈥 Haniyeh said.

Haniyeh, who lives in exile, said that Hamas and its leaders in Gaza are well and reiterated that there will be no exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel 鈥渦ntil the aggression comes to a complete stop.鈥 He said all Palestinians prisoners will have to be set free in return for the hostages.

CHILDREN IN GAZA ARE GETTING VACCINATED

RAFAH, Gaza Strip 鈥 Palestinian health workers are vaccinating children in Gaza鈥檚 southern city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands have fled to escape the Israel-Hamas war.

UNICEF said last week it delivered at least 600,000 doses of vaccines to the besieged enclave as illness spreads rapidly. The agency estimated that more than 16,600 infants have missed one or more routine vaccinations.

On Tuesday, war-weary women rushed to a health care center in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah to get their infants vaccinated. They stood in long lines.

Iman al-Khudary, a displaced mother from Gaza City, said it took her several attempts to get her baby daughter vaccinated. She said it appears not enough vaccines had reached Gaza and she is worried gaps in vaccinations will make her child more vulnerable to rapidly spreading disease.

Health worker Faten al-Amasssi said the recent shipment for vaccines included those against polio, pneumococcal pneumonia, measles, rubella, mumps as well as tuberculosis. She said her health center has continued to vaccinate children throughout the war.

She said that the spread of disease is mostly linked to unsanitary conditions in overcrowded shelters, rather than a lack of vaccines.

ISRAEL WILL DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST GENOCIDE ACCUSATIONS AT WORLD COURT

JERUSALEM 鈥 Israel says it will defend itself against with the world court.

Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister鈥檚 office, on Tuesday accused South Africa of 鈥済iving political and legal cover鈥 to Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attack that triggered Israel鈥檚 war against the militant group.

鈥淭he state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to dispel South Africa鈥檚 absurd blood libel,鈥 Levy said.

South Africa launched the case Friday at the U.N.鈥檚 top court, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks.

Israel dismisses international cases against it as unfair and biased and rarely cooperates. The Israeli response signals the government is taking the case seriously.

ISRAELI FORCES KILL 4 PALESTINIANS IN THE WEST BANK

JERUSALEM 鈥 The Israeli military says its forces killed four Palestinian militants early Tuesday during a raid in the West Bank, in the latest deadly violence in the occupied territory.

The military said the men opened fire on troops raiding the village of Azzun, in the northern West Bank, before barricading themselves in a home. It says an Israeli soldier was moderately wounded.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs鈥 Brigade, an armed group loosely tied to President Mahmoud Abbas鈥 secular Fatah movement, claimed the dead as its fighters and said they died defending the village.

Israel has stepped up raids across the West Bank since Oct. 7, when an attack by the militant Hamas group triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, mostly in confrontations with Israeli forces during raids or protests, though some have also been killed in attacks by armed settlers.

UK SENDS FIRST MARITIME SHIPMENT OF SUPPLIES FOR GAZA

NICOSIA, Cyprus 鈥 The U.K. says its first maritime shipment of nearly 100 tons of thermal blankets, shelter packs and medical supplies for Gaza has reached Egypt鈥檚 Port Said, from where it will cross into the enclave.

The U.K. Foreign Office said Tuesday that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay delivered the aid after departing from Cyprus. The aid will be distributed by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

The aid delivery was made possible following visits by British Foreign Secretary James Cameron and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to Egypt and Cyprus last month. The aid includes 11 tons of medical supplies donated by Cyprus.

The British government said it would 鈥渆xplore other routes for aid deliveries,鈥 including the to set up a maritime corridor to continuously ship large quantities of assistance to Gaza and the land corridor from Jordan.

ISRAELI STRIKES HIT THE OUTSKIRTS OF DAMASCUS, SYRIAN NEWS AGENCY SAYS

BEIRUT 鈥 Several Israeli airstrikes hit the outskirts of Damascus early Tuesday, causing 鈥渕aterial damage,鈥 Syrian state media reported.

State news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, said the strikes came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at around 4:30 a.m.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, reported that the airstrikes hit a Syrian army artillery unit where members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were also stationed.

Israel for years has struck parts of government-held Syria. On the rare occasions it acknowledges the strikes, Israel says it's targeting Iranian-backed groups there that have backed President Bashar Assad鈥檚 government. The observatory said Israel carried out 76 attacks on Syrian territory in 2023.

On Monday, the Israeli military said it had identified five missiles launched from Syria that fell in open areas.

The 春色直播 Press. All rights reserved.