The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that it will observe a limited daily “tactical pause” along one of the main roads in the Gaza Strip to allow delivery of increased quantities of humanitarian aid.
The Israel Defense Forces, however, added that the pause should not be seen as a “cessation of hostilities in the southern Gaza Strip.”
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 announcement was made as the IDF disclosed the death of three more soldiers on Saturday, bringing the total to 11, including eight killed in an attack on their armoured personnel carrier in the southern city of Rafah.
The IDF disclosed that the pause would begin in the Rafah area at 8am and remain in effect until 7pm along the main Salah al-Din road, to allow aid trucks to transit between the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel.
It added that the pause would take place every day until further notice.
It said that the pause was being coordinated with the UN and international aid agencies.
The crossing has suffered from a bottleneck since Israeli ground troops moved into Rafah in early May.
“We welcome this announcement,” Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noted.
However, he added, “This has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need.
He said, “We hope this leads to further concrete measures by Israel to address longstanding issues preventing a meaningful humanitarian response in Gaza.”
Earlier, Israel’s Army Radio reported that neither Netanyahu nor Defence Minister Gallant had prior knowledge of the “tactical pause”, which is to take place every day from 8am to 7pm on a road in southern Gaza until further notice.
Nonetheless, according to an Israeli newspaper, the military hit back at claims the government was left in the dark about its announced “tactical pause” along a Gaza aid corridor.
The decision, it claimed, was made by the army’s Southern Command, in line with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s instructions to increase aid flow to the enclave.
Far-Right Ministers Slam “Tactical Pause” Plan
Israel’s far-right Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, 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.
“The one who decided on a “tactical pause” for the special humanitarian passage, at a time when many of our soldiers are falling in battle, is a moron and a fool who should not continue in his position.
“Unfortunately, this move was not brought before the cabinet and contradicts its decisions. It is time to abandon this concept and stop the crazy and delusional approach that only brings us more dead and fallen.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich joined 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 emphasized that the only way to win the war is to occupy Gaza and impose a temporary military government until Hamas is rooted out.
