Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accepted an army plan to reduce the number of soldiers mounting an operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at stopping Palestinian rocket attacks, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz said.

Israeli soldiers began withdrawing from areas of the Jebalya refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahiya yesterday, Haaretz said on its Web site, citing unidentified Palestinian officials. The operation in Gaza will continue, Haaretz said.

Sharon accepted the plan after meeting Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Israel Defense Forces leaders yesterday, Haaretz reported, without saying where it obtained the information. The military leaders recommended a redeployment citing safety concerns, the newspaper said.

The U.S. last week vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that Israel halt the operation in the northern Gaza Strip and remove its forces. The U.S. government said the text failed to criticize Palestinian rocket attacks.

(Haaretz 10-15)

To contact the reporters on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 14, 2004 21:56 EDT