Israel begins partial troop withdrawal

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-19-2009 08:53

Israel has begun to withdraw some of its troops from Gaza, a move seen by some observers as troop redeployment in the wake of a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced by the conflict are also making their way back home. But many of them are fearful of what they might find in their neighborhoods when they finally get there.

Israeli soldiers return to Israel early morning January 18, 2009 after a combat mission in Gaza. (Yannis Behrakis/Reuters)

Israeli troops and tanks could be seen streaming back over the border from Gaza since early Sunday.

Although Israel emerged as the indisputable victor in the 3-week-long conflict, its chief goals, a permanent end to rocket attacks on its soil and weapons smuggling into Gaza, will require hard diplomacy and sustained international cooperation.

It's still not clear how many troops Israel plans to pull back for now. Israel has warned that the strikes will resume if Hamas should fire rockets into its territory again.

Local reports say the departing troops were deployed to areas near the security fence along the border.

In Gaza, families began emerging from their hiding places, including U.N. school compounds, where some 45,000 people sought refuge during the fighting. Many of them are afraid of finding their homes damaged or completely destroyed when they finally reach them.

Officials say some 4,000 residential buildings were reduced to rubble during the conflict. And it would cost at least 1.6 billion US dollars to repair damages to the territory's infrastructure.

Gaza Resident, said, "We've never seen such devastation. They just destroyed everything. They didn't leave anything."

Gaza Resident, said, "Our children became sick. We lost our money and they took everything we have. So take us back."

Meanwhile, trucks carrying food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies are starting to make their way into the war-torn Strip, as Israel reopened its border crossings with Gaza.

Israel has also opened a field clinic on the border to help injured Gazans, and transport them to Israeli hospitals for further treatment if necessary.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei