Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 17, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 17, 2025
IDF’s 162nd Division hands responsibility for Gaza buffer zone to 252nd Division
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF’s 162nd Division has concluded its operations in Gaza after 15 months straight, and handed over the responsibility of the military’s buffer zone in the Strip’s north to the 252nd Division, the military says.
The 162nd Division lost 265 soldiers during the ground offensive in Gaza, during which it demolished numerous tunnels and killed thousands of Hamas operatives, according to the IDF.
The southern portion of the buffer zone and the Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border area, is under the responsibility of the Gaza Division.
