The IDF is continuing its battle against Hamas in Rafah, and there is no policy change, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office clarified after the army announced the creation of a daily 11-hour humanitarian corridor from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road.
When Netanyahu “heard the reports in the morning about a daily humanitarian pause for 11, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him,” the source stated.
After checking out the situation, “the Prime Minister was informed that there was no change in IDF policy and that the fighting in Rafah continued as planned,” the source stated.
Need to increase humanitarian aid flow
The source spoke out following an army announcement that “As part of ongoing efforts by the IDF and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories to increase the volumes of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip and following additional related discussions with the UN and international organizations,” new procedures had been put in place to help with aid distribution.
“Starting yesterday (Saturday), a local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 08:00 until 19:00 every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards” the army said. A spokesman for COGAT clarified that the pause had also been in effect on Sunday.
“This is an additional step in the humanitarian aid efforts that have been conducted by the IDF and COGAT since the beginning of the war,” it stated. “The IDF will continue to support humanitarian efforts on the ground,” the army added.
Israel has been under attack by the international community, including the United States, for not taking enough steps to ensure the distribution of humanitarian assistance in Gaza safely.
The lack of an effective system to distribute aid has led to claims by the UN that people in Gaza were starving, as well as accusations that Israel was using hunger as a tool of war.
The announcement comes from Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder announced on X that already on June 11 Gallant had been invited to visit Washington at a date to be announced. It would be Gallant’s second trip to Washington since the start of the War.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington next month to address a joint session of Congress. He has yet to visit Washington since taking office in December 2022.
The appearance of a disconnect between Gallant and Netanyahu on the issue of humanitarian aid came just one week after the Defense Minister voted against the government’s draft law in the Knesset. He also angered the Foreign Ministry when he spoke out against French efforts for a trilateral diplomatic process to end the war in the north between the IDF and the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah located in Lebanon.
Comments are closed.