Israel withdrew most soldiers from Gaza, but not 'complete withdrawal' | Fact check

The claim: Israel announced a ‘complete withdrawal’ from Gaza

An April 8 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims a major development has happened in the Israel-Hamas war. 

“This explains why today Israel announced a complete withdrawal from Gaza,” reads the start of the post. 

It goes on to reference speculation that Iran could attack Israel in retaliation for a deadly airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria.

It garnered more than 1,000 likes in three days. Another version of the post was shared widely on Facebook.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

Israel announced a withdrawal of a significant number of troops, but a brigade consisting of thousands of troops remains in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces and various news reports.

Thousands of IDF troops remain in Gaza, but far less than at war's height

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, who declined to be identified by name, told USA TODAY the “162nd Division is still in Gaza.”

The agency said it had withdrawn troops from its 98th Commando Division in southern Gaza to “recuperate and prepare for future operations” in an April 7 statement that marked six months since the war began, the Washington Post reported.

The remaining brigade includes several thousand soldiers. It's supposed to prevent Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza and will conduct "precision" strikes in the area, USA TODAY reported. 

The withdrawal announcement applied to “all of the army’s maneuvering ground forces,” but thousands remained in the enclave, The Times of Israel reported. Israel had tens of thousands of soldiers in the Palestinian enclave at the height of the war, the outlet reported.

Fact check: Israel and United Arab Emirates have maintained diplomatic ties amid Gaza war

USA TODAY has debunked an array of false claims surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, including that the International Court of Justice found Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, that Israel faced genocide charges in the International Criminal Court and that Hamas surrendered and Gaza now belongs to Israel. 

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, April 12, Email exchange with USA TODAY 
• USA TODAY, April 8, Israel withdraws most troops from Gaza; Hamas, Israel to engage in talks 
• The Times of Israel, April 7, IDF chief says withdrawal of troops from Gaza doesn’t mean war is close to end 
• The Washington Post, April 7, Israel withdraws most troops from south at six-month mark of Gaza war

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.