Israel announced on Sunday, June 16, that it will hold a ‘tactical pause of military activity’ every day to allow humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to AP News, the military activity pause in Rafah would begin at 8 a.m. (05:00 GMT, 1 a.m. eastern) and end at 7 p.m. (16:00 GMT, noon eastern) daily until further announcement.
The army said that the pause is aimed at allowing aid deliveries to increase humanitarian aid in the Strip.
As per the IDF, the pause will allow aid trucks to reach near Kerem Shalom, crossing the main entry point of the aid, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway to deliver aid to other parts of the Strip.
The forces said that Sunday’s announcement follows ‘additional related discussions with the UN and international organisations.’
The eight months of Israeli military offence in Gaza have sparked an extreme humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations has also warned that hundreds and thousands of people are on the brink of famine.
The pause announcement came after the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday that more than 50,000 children in Gaza require immediate medical treatment due to malnutrition.
UNRWA wrote on X previously Twitter, “With continued restrictions to humanitarian access, people in #Gaza continue to face desperate levels of hunger. Over 50,000 children require treatment for acute malnutrition.”
