The Israeli military announced a “tactical pause” in its offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, according to NPR.
The IDF said the pause would begin in the Rafah area at 8 a.m. (05:00 GMT, 1 a.m. ET) and would last until 7 p.m. (4 p.m. GMT, noon ET). It says the pause will occur each day until further notice.
The pause aims to allow humanitarian aid lorries to reach the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point for incoming aid. Humanitarian aid, if the plan is implemented, will be able to safely reach the Salah a-Din highway, the main north-south road, to deliver supplies to other parts of Gaza.
COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of aid distribution in the Gaza Strip, claims no restrictions on the entry of lorries. Over 8,600 lorries of all types, both humanitarian and commercial, entered Gaza from all crossings from 2 May to 13 June, an average of 201 lorries per day, but most aid failed to reach those in need. COGAT spokesman said the UN is responsible for its lorries piling up in the Gaza Strip from the direction of Kerem Shalom owing to unresolved logistical problems.
According to the UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, the UN received an average of 68 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day from 6 May to 6 June. This is down from 168 lorries per day in April and well below the 500 lorries per day that humanitarian groups say is necessary.
The UN, for its part, rejects such accusations, noting the danger for UN lorries inside Gaza to travel to Kerem Shalom because of the fighting between Israel and Hamas. According to the statement, the pace of deliveries has slowed because the Israeli military must allow drivers to drive to the site.
Qatar and Egypt plan to negotiate with Hamas on Gaza ceasefire
Mediators in Qatar and Egypt plan to engage in talks with Hamas soon to see if there is a possible route to move forward with a cease-fire proposal in Gaza, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. According to him, he spoke briefly with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and indicated they would have another conversation about Gaza on Sunday, when both are in Switzerland for a conference on Ukraine, Reuters reported.
US President Biden proposed a new three-stage ceasefire proposal offered by Israel to Hamas that would lead to the release of all hostages and a permanent cessation of hostilities. Hamas applauded the ceasefire proposal but insisted any accord must bring an end to the war. Israel in turn characterised Hamas’ response to the new US peace proposal as a complete rejection.
Sullivan said US officials assume the path to the agreement remains:
We anticipate a back-and-forth between the mediators and Hamas. We’ll see where we stand at that point. We will keep consulting with the Israelis and then hopefully at some point next week we’ll be able to report to you where we think things stand and what we see as being the next step to try to bring this to closure.
