Israel sees gradual transition to next phase of Gaza operations

Israel will gradually transition to the next phase of its operations in Gaza in which the local population would likely be able to first return to the north of the coastal strip, the country's defence minister said on Monday. "I can tell you that soon we will be able to distinguish between different areas in Gaza," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a joint news conference with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv. "In every area where we achieve our mission we will be able to transition gradually to the next phase and start working on bringing back the local population," Gallant said.