Days after President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which Biden “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” Israel announced it was pulling a division of troops from Gaza, NBC News reports.

Facing his own political pressure to push an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza where civilians face shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care, Biden has pushed diplomatic efforts to focus Israeli military action on hunting Hamas terrorists and freeing hostages rather than threatening non-combatant Palestinians.  The Israeli slaughter of refugees trying to get food from aid trucks and the missile attack killing aid workers from the World Central Kitchen put the world’s vision on Israeli recklessness and potential war crimes.

Israeli military forces said it was withdrawing the 98th commando division from Gaza “to recuperate and prepare for future operations,” leaving the Nahal brigade and the 162nd division, between 4,000 and 7,000 troops, in the territory.  Military leaders have not announced a replacement force nor have they released information about the 98th returning to Gaza, leading military analysts to speculate Israel is changing tactics.

“The IDF contingent in Gaza will be the lowest since the ground invasion started in late October last year, made of only two brigades along an axis that cuts Gaza into two,” an analyst with a think tank noted. “Essentially, this means the IDF is probably moving to a more long-term counter-terrorism campaign of more target raids. This is something the U.S. had been asking for months.”