By RIA Novosti,
Tel Aviv : Israel completed on Wednesday its troop pullout from Gaza more than three weeks after the start of its assault on the coastal enclave, the Israeli army’s press service said.
An Israeli military statement said that the last soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces had left the Gaza Strip before dawn. Israel troops remain deployed near the Gaza border in case of any possible militant attack.
Israel launched its attack on December 27, targeting Hamas infrastructure in a bid to put an end to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli border towns. The military operation left over 1,300 Palestinians and nine Israeli servicemen dead. Up to 50,000 people have been left homeless in the enclave.
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire at 2 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday saying it had achieved all its objectives following a week of airstrikes and two weeks of ground operations. Several hours after Israel’s announcement, radical Islamic movement Hamas also declared an immediate ceasefire, adding that it was giving Israel a week to withdraw its troops.
Both sides have already accused each other of ceasefire violations. Israel reported mortar shelling of its border territories, while Hamas said two farmers had been killed by Israeli troops.