After the controversy surrounding the Israeli army’s announcement of a “tactical pause in combat operations” in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a scathing attack on it.
In a government session on Sunday, he stated that “Israel is a country with an army, not the other way around.” He also deemed that “unacceptable decisions were made at the military level.”
“Our Goals Have Not Changed”
He further added, “We are in a multi-front war… Our goals in the south of the sector have not changed,” referring to the ongoing fighting against Hamas. He claimed that some are calling for changing the objectives, hinting at two ministers who withdrew, referring to Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot. He concluded by saying, “They want decisions soaked in defeat and to keep Hamas as it is, which is unacceptable to me.”
Allowing Aid
These statements came after the Israeli army announced earlier today that it would adhere to a “tactical pause in military activities” daily in a part of southern Gaza during specific hours of the day to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged and devastated Palestinian sector, which faces famine after eight months of war. In a statement, it said, “The tactical pause will be applied from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM every day until further notice,” starting from the Kerem Shalom crossing and up to Salah al-Din road and then northwards.
It added that this decision was made in the context of efforts “to increase the amount of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip,” following talks with the United Nations and other organizations.
“No Halt to Combat Operations”
However, it later clarified that “there is no halt to combat operations in southern Gaza,” stressing that military operations “in Rafah are ongoing.”
The Kerem Shalom crossing has been congested since Israeli ground forces invaded Rafah in early May. Meanwhile, international and UN criticism of Israel has intensified due to its tight blockade of the sector, whose residents suffer from severe food and medicine shortages.
Notably, during the period from May 6 to June 6, the United Nations received an average of only 68 aid trucks daily, according to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This figure represents a significant decrease compared to last April, when 168 trucks entered daily, while the sector needs 500 trucks daily to meet the basic needs of Gaza’s residents.
