Jerusalem, June 16 (EFE).- The Israeli army announced Sunday it would pause its daily attacks in the south of the Gaza Strip between 8am and 7pm to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid in the area.
The decision comes after holding “discussions with the United Nations and international organizations,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The route of daily Israeli “humanitarian breaks” can be seen on a map shared by authorities, which runs from the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south to the Khan Younis European Hospital.
Since the Israeli army entered Rafah, in southern Gaza, at the beginning of last month, the border crossing into Egypt – where much of the humanitarian aid to the enclave crossed – remains closed, and the Kerem Shalom crossing, too. In the south, supplies only enter sporadically.
The situation has forced hospitals and clinics to close and has served to aggravate a previously catastrophic humanitarian crisis, as reported by international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.
According to the army, the daily pauses in the attacks began Saturday.
In a later statement, Israeli forces said the decision does not imply a cessation of hostilities in the south, and that attacks on the town of Rafah would continue.
They also said that the demilitarized route can only be used for the transportation of humanitarian aid, that is, that civilians will not be able to use it to travel.
The announcement comes a day after the army experienced its deadliest day in Gaza since the beginning of the war, with the death of eight soldiers when the armored vehicle in which they were traveling exploded in the south of the Strip.
The armed forces said the explosion of a bomb hit the vehicle, which was loaded with explosive material, causing it to also explode and triggering a large detonation.
Israeli forces published the names Sunday of five of the eight soldiers killed in the incident, and also reported the death Saturday of two reservists in the north of the enclave, in a tank explosion.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza, at least 309 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Meanwhile, some 37,296 Gazans have lost their lives, most of them women and children, in the constant attacks by the Israeli army on the Strip. EFE jdg/lds
