8:16 am ET, June 17, 2024
Israel declared a “ceasefire” in southern Gaza, but there was no break in the Rafah offensive. Here’s what you need to know
From Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Tahman, Eugenia Yosef, Lauren Izzo and CNN’s Kathleen Makramo
A truck carrying aid for delivery into Gaza passes through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel on June 17.
Nathan Frontino/Reuters
Israel says it has introduced a daily “tactical pause” in military operations along a corridor in southern Gaza to allow aid to be delivered, but says it cannot let up fighting in the surrounding areas. Rafah in southern Gaza.
The suspensions began on Saturday and will last from 8am to 7pm local time every day until further notice, allowing trucks to travel from the Kerem Shalom crossing to Salah al-Din, the main entry point for aid coming into southern Gaza. road and northward, Israel Defense Forces said.
Immediately after announcing the move, the Israeli military said “the fighting in Rafah continues” and added that “there has been no change in the entry of goods into the Strip”.
Aid shortages have developed in Kerem Shalom amid Israeli airstrikes and fighting in much of southern Gaza.
More than 50,000 children in Gaza now require treatment for severe malnutrition United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said a Post on X on Saturday.
Last month, Israel stepped up its ground offensive in central Rafah, saying Hamas fighters were entrenched in civilian areas of the enclave’s southern city.
The move has already forced hundreds of thousands of displaced people to flee the region. Gazans say they were bombed even as they evacuated to areas they were supposed to be safe. There is nowhere to go. Internally displaced Palestinians are estimated to be concentrated in an area of 69 square kilometers (27 sq mi).
The Israeli leadership has criticized the move: According to an Israeli official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not happy when he first heard about the plan.
Netanyahu contacted his military secretary and said this was unacceptable until he promised the fighting would continue in Rafah. This raises the question of where the “tactical pause” order originated, but it is expected to continue.
Israeli Defense Minister Ben Gvir – a leading right-wing member of the country’s cabinet – condemned the suspension. “Anyone who decides on a ‘tactical pause’ for the purpose of a humanitarian transition, especially at a time when our best soldiers are falling in battle, is an evil and foolish man who should not remain in his post,” he said. said.
Fighting and Deadly Strikes: Heavy fighting and airstrikes have rocked Rafah as Israel’s push to destroy Hamas in Gaza continues. A civil defense official in the enclave told CNN that heavy clashes were ongoing in the neighborhoods of West Rafah on Sunday.
Rafah Civil Defense’s media officer Ahmad Ratwan said the organization has received requests to collect bodies and wounded, but it is difficult for crews to access many areas due to Israeli military operations.
on Saturday, Eight IDF soldiers were killed Near the city, it was one of the deadliest incidents of the war for Israeli troops.
