Israeli military announces 'tactical pause' to try to increase aid flow into GazaNBC News, Jun 16, 2024, Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military announced on Sunday that it would pause fighting during daytime hours along a route in southern Gaza to free up a backlog of humanitarian aid deliveries for desperate Palestinians enduring a humanitarian crisis sparked by the war, now in its ninth month.
The “tactical pause,” which applies to about 7.5 miles of road in the Rafah area, falls far short of a complete cease-fire in the territory that has been sought by the international community, including Israel’s top ally, the United States. It could help address some of the overwhelming needs of Palestinians that have surged in recent weeks with Israel’s incursion into Rafah.
The army said the daily pause would begin at 8 a.m. (5 a.m. GMT, 1 a.m. ET) and last until 7 p.m. and continue until further notice. It is aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the nearby Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point for aid, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway, a main north-south road, the military said. The crossing has had a bottleneck since Israeli ground troops moved into Rafah in early May.
[...]
With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to press ahead with the war and many members of his far-right government opposed to the cease-fire proposal, news of the military’s pause triggered a minor political storm. An Israeli official quoted Netanyahu as saying the plan was “unacceptable to him” when he learned of it. The official said Netanyahu received assurances that “there is no change” in the military’s policy and the “fighting in Rafah continues as planned.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Israeli TV stations later quoted Netanyahu as criticizing the military: “We have a country with an army, not an army with a country.”
But neither Netanyahu nor the army canceled the new arrangement. While the army insisted “there is no cessation of fighting” in southern Gaza, it also said the new route would be open during daytime hours “exclusively for the transportation of humanitarian aid.”
More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-military-announces-tactical-pause-try-increase-aid-flow-gaza-rcna157383