He Israeli army announced this Sunday that it will pause daily operations in an area of southern Gaza to allow the entry of more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, devastated by more than eight months of war and threatened by famine.
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The decision comes after holding “discussions with the UN and international organizations,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The route of the daily Israeli “humanitarian breaks” can be seen on a map shared by the authorities, which reaches from the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south to the Khan Younis European Hospital.
The break “will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day and until further notice,” in the area from Kerem Shalom, the border crossing in the south of Israel, to the Salahedin highway, in Gaza, and towards the north of the Palestinian territory, the army said.
Since the Israeli Army entered Rafah, in southern Gaza, at the beginning of last month, the border crossing into Egypt – where much of the humanitarian aid to the enclave crossed – remains closed, and the Kerem Shalom crossing, too. In the south, supplies only enter sporadically.
The situation has forced hospitals and clinics to close and has served to aggravate a previously catastrophic humanitarian crisis. as reported by international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.
According to the Army, the daily pauses in attacks began on Saturday.
In a later statement, however, Israeli forces made it clear that the decision does not imply a total cessation of hostilities in the south, and emphasized that the attacks in the town of Rafah will continue.
They also assured that the demilitarized route can only be used for the transportation of humanitarian aid, That is, civilians will not be able to use it to move around.
The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also clarified this Sunday that the fighting in Rafah, southern Gaza, will continue “as planned.”
“When Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) heard reports on Sunday morning about a humanitarian pause in combat for 11 hours a day, he told his military secretary that this is unacceptable,” a statement from his Office detailed.
“Once the situation was clarified, it was conveyed to the prime minister that there is no change in Israel Defense Forces policy and that fighting in Rafah will continue as planned,” he added.
After the announcement, the Minister of National Security, the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, was against any “tactical truce” with the aim of allowing more aid, “especially at a time when the best of our soldiers are falling into the battle,” he said on the social network.
There is no change in Israel Defense Forces policy and that the fighting in Rafah will continue as planned
For his part, the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, said in to Hamas and “helps it maintain civilian control of the Strip.
“The Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense have firmly refused for six months the only path that will allow victory, which is the occupation of the Strip and the establishment of a temporary military government until the complete destruction of Hamas,” he reiterated. Smotrich in X.
The announcement comes a day after the Israeli Army experienced its deadliest day in Gaza since the start of the war.with the death of eight soldiers when the armored vehicle in which they were traveling exploded in the south of the Strip.
The explanation of the armed forces suggests that the explosion of a bomb hit the vehicle, which was loaded with explosive material, causing it to also explode and triggering a large detonation.
The Israeli forces published this Sunday the names of five of the eight soldiers killed in the incident, and they also reported the death on Saturday of two reservists in the north of the enclave, in a tank explosion.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza, at least 309 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Meanwhile, some 37,296 Gazans have lost their lives, most of them women and children, in the constant attacks by the Israeli Army on the Strip.
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