Some residents are returning to the ravaged city of Khan Younis after Israel withdrew all but one brigade from southern Gaza. Military officials said that troops are being rested for future missions and the conflict is “far from stopping.” A new round of cease-fire negotiations began this week in Cairo. While Israel’s key objective remained “foremost” the release of hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in recorded remarks Monday, it remained set on “total victory over Hamas,” which would require “entering Rafah,” the southern city where much of the displaced Gazan population is sheltering, and “eliminating the terrorist battalions there.”
