Israel announces ‘tactical pause’ along road in southern Gaza
The Israeli military says it will pause fighting along a road in the south of Gaza during certain hours to allow humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave.
The army said in a post on X that the pause would begin at 8am (05:00 GMT) and remain in effect until 7pm (16:00 GMT), and would be repeated each day until further notice.
Aid organisations have long warned that Israel’s offensive on Rafah in Gaza’s south – which began in early May and has displaced more than 1 million Palestinians – blocked access to the two crossings through which the vast majority of food and other essential supplies had entered Gaza amid Israel’s complete blockade of the territory.
A huge line of aid trucks can be seen waiting on an Egyptian road along the border with Israel, near the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, on May 2
Israeli army says fighting will continue in southern Gaza despite ‘tactical pause’
The Israeli army has tweeted in Hebrew that it would continue fighting in the southern Gaza Strip and that the “tactical pause for humanitarian purposes” that it had announced would only apply to humanitarian aid transport.
The army’s English-language post announcing the pause in fighting had been published 90 minutes before the Hebrew post clarified that Israeli forces would continue their operations in Rafah.
To increase the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and following additional related discussions with the U.N. and international organizations, a local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 08:00 until 19:00 every day until… pic.twitter.com/QLXNFZsTYZ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2024
Israel’s Ben-Gvir slams tactical pause as ‘delusional’
Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has slammed the Israeli military’s plan to pause fighting for scheduled hours along a road in southern Gaza to allow for aid delivery.
In a post on X, Ben-Gvir said the decision was “delusional”, especially after the recent death of 10 Israeli soldiers, and had not been approved by Israel’s war cabinet. Ben-Gvir has repeatedly called for Israel to slash aid delivered to Gaza during the war and to re-occupy the enclave.
Gallant, Netanyahu unaware of military’s ‘tactical pause’ plans: Report
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was not informed beforehand about the military’s plans for a “tactical pause” along a humanitarian corridor in Rafah and did not give his approval, according to Israel’s Army Radio.
The pause, to take place every day from 8am to 7pm, will only apply to humanitarian aid transport travelling on the corridor, with Israel’s military operations to continue uninterrupted in Rafah, according to the military.
N12 news tweeted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also not been informed.
Israel’s Smotrich weighs in on ‘tactical pause’
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has joined his colleague Ben-Gvir in criticising the military’s announced “tactical pause” along a humanitarian aid corridor in southern Gaza.
In a post on X, Smotrich claimed that much of the aid getting into Gaza, where nearly all people are food insecure, is serving Hamas, thus prolonging the war. The military’s announcement of a “tactical pause” for humanitarian aid, he said, shows it is wrongly prioritising international legitimacy over “victory”.
Smotrich said the only way to win the war is to occupy Gaza and impose a temporary military government until Hamas is rooted out.
