Israel's military has declared a temporary ceasefire during daytime hours along a 12-kilometer route in southern Gaza, specifically in the Rafah area. This pause aims to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid that has been severely backed up due to ongoing conflict. It is not a full ceasefire but rather a tactical pause from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, allowing aid trucks to travel safely to the Kerem Shalom crossing and onward to areas like Khan Younis and central Gaza. The initiative comes after discussions with the United Nations and aims to alleviate the humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the prolonged conflict.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened significantly during the nine-month conflict, with widespread hunger and a looming famine affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The flow of aid into Gaza has been hampered, dropping from 168 trucks daily in April to just 68 trucks daily in recent weeks, far below the 500 trucks needed. Despite claims from COGAT (Israeli body overseeing aid distribution) that there are no entry restrictions for aid trucks, logistical challenges and security concerns persist, leading to aid stockpiling at crossings and delays in distribution.
Efforts to negotiate a broader ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are ongoing but have faced challenges, with differing interpretations of proposed terms. The international community, including the United States, has urged for more significant steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza amidst the continued hostilities.
