Israel rotates military units in Gaza as new phase of ceasefire deal looms

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rotated two brigades out of Gaza in late December, replacing them with new units. The switch occurred as the IDF continues to deal with securing the half of Gaza that Israel controls in the wake of an October 2025 ceasefire. Israel is also preparing for a possible new phase of the ceasefire that may begin in early 2026.

On December 18, the Israeli military said that it had rotated the 2nd Reserve Infantry Brigade out of Gaza. “After successfully dismantling Hamas infrastructure, killing terrorists, and destroying weapons caches, the IDF’s 2nd Brigade has completed its mission and will be rotating out of Gaza to be replaced by the 16th Brigade,” The Jerusalem Post noted, based on an IDF announcement. The 16th Brigade is a reserve infantry brigade.

The IDF said in a statement distributed on WhatsApp that the 2nd Brigade was operating under the command of the 252nd Division in northern Gaza. The brigade has secured the Yellow Line, a line that runs most of the length of Gaza and demarcates IDF control from areas of the territory still controlled by Hamas. The line is a result of the October 13 ceasefire agreement that created a framework for a phased withdrawal of IDF forces as Hamas returns hostages and disarms. One deceased hostage is still held by Hamas as of December 26, 2025.

Following the rotation of the 2nd Brigade, the IDF said on December 20 that it was rotating the Kfir Brigade out of Gaza. The infantry brigade had operated in the territory for two months and was being replaced by the 188th Armored Brigade, the Israeli military said. “During their activities, the troops, in cooperation with the Yahalom [combat engineering] Unit, located and dismantled hundreds of terrorist infrastructure sites, including an underground tunnel route approximately two kilometers long and an additional tunnel route extending hundreds of meters underneath the Khan Yunis area,” the IDF added.

In its announcement about the departure of the Kfir Brigade, the IDF said that 20 terrorists had been eliminated during the unit’s activities. The Israeli military also said the 2nd Brigade had eliminated dozens of terrorists during its deployment. The Kfir and 188th Brigades are both regular IDF brigades comprised of soldiers doing their mandatory military service, in contrast to the reservists of the 2nd and 16th Brigades.

The rotation of the units took place as Israel prepares for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Representatives of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar met with US officials to discuss Gaza.

“Turkey expects the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal to begin early in 2026, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday [December 22], following talks with U.S., Qatari and Egyptian officials in Miami over the weekend,” Reuters reported on December 22. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on December 29.

“President Trump plans several big announcements on Gaza in early January, but the next steps hinge on his meeting on Monday at Mar-a-Lago with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Axios reported on December 26. The report said that the White House intends to announce details of an International Stabilization Force and Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza. Announcements about a new phase of the ceasefire have been expected since early December.

The IDF continues to face tensions along the Yellow Line. Five IDF announcements on WhatsApp between December 18 and 26 mentioned incidents in Gaza where Israeli troops eliminated terrorist threats. Two of the incidents involved more than one person who was identified as a threat. For instance, on December 20, the IDFsaidit had killed two suspected terrorists.

On December 24, an Israeli soldier was wounded in Gaza. “An explosive device was detonated against an IDF vehicle during operational activity dismantling terrorist infrastructure in the area of Rafah,” the IDF said. In the northern part of the territory, the IDF’s Northern Gaza Brigade dismantled more than four kilometers of a tunnel, the Israeli military noted on December 25. In southern Gaza, the Kfir Infantry Brigade also destroyed a tunnel estimated at around 2 kilometers in length.