The Israeli army has announced it will implement a limited daily “tactical pause” along one of the main roads in the Gaza Strip to facilitate the delivery of increased humanitarian aid. Despite this pause, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emphasized that it should not be seen as a “cessation of hostilities in the southern Gaza Strip”.
This announcement coincided with the disclosure that three more Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday, raising the total to 11, including eight who died in an attack on their armored personnel carrier in the southern city of Rafah.
The tactical pause, which was declared as Muslims worldwide began the important religious festival of Eid Al-Adha, aims to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza following eight months of war. This limited pause comes after discussions with Egypt and pressure from the United States to enhance the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
According to the IDF, the pause will begin daily in the Rafah area at 8 am and remain in effect until 7 pm along the main Salah al-Din road, facilitating the transit of aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel. The IDF added that this pause will be coordinated with the UN and international aid agencies and will continue until further notice.
However, the decision was immediately condemned by Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who criticized the move, stating: “The person who decided on a ‘tactical pause’ especially for the delivery of humanitarian aid while the best of our soldiers are being killed in battle is a fool and an imbecile who must not remain in office.”
