RELIEF ROUTE
Israel’s military announces day pause on fighting along southern Gaza aid delivery route
Some in Netanyahu’s government opposed the move
ISRAEL’S military announced today it would pause fighting during the day along a route in southern Gaza to let aid deliveries through.
The “tactical pause” applies to about 12km of road in the Rafah area and was meant to begin at 5am Irish time yesterday and remain in effect until 4pm.
2
2
Israel also said the pauses would take place every day until further notice.
The pause is aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the nearby Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point for incoming aid, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway, a main north-south road, the military said.
The crossing has suffered from a bottleneck since Israeli ground troops moved into Rafah in early May.
COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees aid distribution in Gaza, said the route would increase the flow of aid to other parts of Gaza, including Khan Younis, the coastal area of Muwasi and central Gaza.
Read more in News
Hard-hit northern Gaza, which was an early target in the war, is being served by goods entering from a crossing in the north.
The military said yesterday’s pause, which begins as Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere start marking the major Eid Al-Adha holiday, came after discussions with the United Nations and international aid agencies.
CRITICISM
Following criticism over the move from ultranationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, who oppose a halt in the war, the military said fighting is not being paused in the rest of southern Gaza and neither is there any change regarding the entry of aid in general.
Scott Anderson, the Gaza affairs director for the UN agency for Palestinians, told CNN that he was hopeful the pause would bring in much-needed aid for the population.
MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN
CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL
The pause along the southern route comes as Israel and Hamas weigh up the latest ceasefire proposal, a plan that was detailed by US President Joe Biden.
However, while Biden has described the proposal as an Israeli one, Israel has not fully embraced it and Hamas has demanded some changes that appear to be unacceptable to Israel.
Taxpayers fork out £40,000 to take down Palestinian flags – only for them to be put back up just days later