Jerusalem, June 16 (UNI) The Israeli military will hold a daily “tactical pause of military activity” along a road in southern Gaza to enable more humanitarian aid to enter, media reports said Sunday. In a X post, the IDF clarified there is no ceasefire in southern Gaza Strip, and combat will continue in Rafah.
The pauses, which reportedly began Saturday, will last from 8 am local time until 7 pm local time till further notice. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday’s announcement follows “additional related discussions with the UN and international organizations”.
They will only affect a route that leads northwards from the key Kerem Shalom crossing, which Gaza shares with Israel, the BBC reported.
Israel has been under continuous pressure from its allies, including the US, to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening.
The route of the humanitarian pause leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south of Gaza to the Salah al-Din Road – a main highway – and then northwards to the European Hospital near the city of Khan Younis, the BBC said.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah since Israeli troops entered it more than a month ago, seizing control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt and ordering many people to evacuate. The crossing – once the main point of entry for aid – has been closed since then, the report said.
Israel says its operation in Rafah is necessary to oust Hamas from what it calls the group’s “last major stronghold”.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.
Earlier this week, Hamas stopped short of accepting a US-backed plan, that could improve humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
