function reindex_array_after_removal(array $array): array
{
    // array_values() re-indexes the array numerically, starting from 0.
    // It discards string keys and re-indexes numeric keys.
    return array_values($array);
}

$items = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'date'];
unset($items[1]); // Remove 'banana'

// The array currently has non-consecutive numeric keys:
// var_dump($items); // [0 => 'apple', 2 => 'cherry', 3 => 'date']

// Example usage:
// $reindexedItems = reindex_array_after_removal($items);
// var_dump($reindexedItems); // ['apple', 'cherry', 'date']