Gaza War | Israel intends to take pauses in hostilities in demarcated parts of Gaza – UN: actions welcome

Israel says it plans to take daily breaks in hostilities in demarcated parts of the southern Gaza Strip.

During breaks, it says it facilitates the delivery of help. There have been warnings for months about the lack of essential supplies in Gaza.

Breaks are limited to the road leading from the Kerem Shalom border crossing. In Kerem Shalom, you can cross the border from the Gaza Strip to both Israel and Egypt.

of Israel the armed forces claim in their statement that the breaks are tactical. According to it, the purpose of the breaks is to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

According to the Armed Forces, the decision on the breaks was made after discussions with the UN and international organizations.

For the time being, the breaks are taken daily from eight in the morning to seven in the evening. According to the map published by the army, the humanitarian route extends from the border crossing point about ten kilometers to the European hospital in Rafah.

In a later statement, the Israeli Armed Forces emphasized that hostilities have not stopped in southern Gaza. According to AFP correspondents reporting from Gaza, there were no reports of attacks or fighting as of Sunday morning.

of the UN OCHA, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the news agency AFP on Sunday that it welcomed Israel’s plans.

However, it called for even more concrete actions to facilitate humanitarian aid operations throughout the Gaza Strip and to remove all obstacles to aid operations.

The living conditions of Gazans who suffered from the war and left their homes are very harsh, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said, adding that “catastrophic hunger” is widespread in Gaza.

Israel’s announcement must turn into practical help that people can reach, Lærke insisted.

“They urgently need food, water, sanitation, shelter and healthcare.”

Humanitarian groups have been warning for months about the lack of food and other essential supplies in the Gaza Strip. According to the World Health Organization WHO, more than 8,000 children under the age of 5 have been treated for acute malnutrition in Gaza.

Israel has defended its actions, accusing fighters of looting supplies and humanitarian workers of not distributing aid.

International mediators have pressured Israel and the extremist organization Hamas to agree on the US president Joe Biden about a midwifed ceasefire plan that would enable the exchange of hostages and prisoners and the increase of aid measures.

However, there has been no progress in the truce plans in recent days.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health under Hamas, more than 37,200 people, most of them civilians, have died in Israel’s military operations in Gaza.