Israel says it has introduced a daily “tactical pause” of military activity along a route in southern Gaza to allow aid to be distributed, but said there will be no let up in fighting in and around Rafah in southern Gaza.
The pauses began on Saturday and will take place every day from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. local time until further notice to allow trucks to move from the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the main entry point for incoming aid to southern Gaza, up the Salah al-Din Road and northward, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Soon after announcing the move, the Israeli military said “the fighting in Rafah continues,” adding “there is no change in the entry of goods into the Strip.”
A bottleneck of aid has built up at Kerem Shalom amid Israeli airstrikes and fighting in much of southern Gaza.
Dire humanitarian crisis: Human rights groups have described “unspeakable” living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza following eight months of Israeli bombardment. Israel’s military campaign has pulverized neighborhoods, damaged health infrastructure and depleted food, water and fuel supplies.
More than 50,000 children in Gaza now require treatment for acute malnutrition, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a post on X on Saturday.
Last month, Israel pressed ahead with its ground operation in central Rafah, saying Hamas fighters are embedded in civilian areas of the enclave’s southernmost city.
The operation has led hundreds of thousands of already displaced people to leave the area. Gazans say they have been bombed even when they evacuated to areas that were supposed to be safe — and that they have nowhere left to go. Internally displaced Palestinians are estimated to be crammed into an area of 69 square kilometers (27 square miles).
Israeli leadership criticizes the move: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unhappy when he first heard of the plan, according to an Israeli official.
Netanyahu then contacted his military secretary and said this was unacceptable, until he was assured the fighting in Rafah would continue. It raises the question of where the “tactical pause” order originated, but it’s expected to continue.
Israeli security minister Ben Gvir — a leading right-wing member of the country’s cabinet — condemned the pause. “Whoever decided on a ‘tactical pause’ for the purpose of a humanitarian transition, especially at a time when the best of our soldiers are falling in battle, is an evil and a fool who should not continue to be in his position,” he said.
Fighting and deadly strikes: Fierce fighting and airstrikes have rocked Rafah as the Israeli effort to destroy Hamas in Gaza continues. A civil defense official in the enclave told CNN heavy clashes were ongoing in neighborhoods of western Rafah on Sunday.
Ahmed Radwan, the media officer of Rafah Civil Defense, said the organization had received pleas to collect bodies and wounded people, but it was difficult for crews to access many areas due to Israeli military operations.
On Saturday, eight IDF soldiers were killed near the city, one of the single deadliest incidents of the war for Israeli troops.
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