Israel declares military pause on Gaza highway for aid shipments

By Nathan Morley

Israel has announced what it is calling a ‘daily tactical pause’ in military operations in parts of southern Gaza.

The Israeli Defence Forces said the pause would take place between 08:00 and 19:00 along the highway that leads from the Kareem Shalom crossing to the Salah Al Din road.

Aid agencies have again and again reported problems in distributing aid around Gaza. The United Nations’ children's agency Unicef said that a convoy carrying aid was refused entry to northern Gaza, despite having all the necessary paperwork.

Unicef spokesman James Elder, who was part of the convoy, claimed that this had become a frequent occurrence.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has disclosed the identities of eight soldiers killed by a Hamas missile in Rafah on Saturday. Reports from Jerusalem say the soldiers had been heading to base after an overnight mission in Rafah.

Speaking on Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as ‘a difficult war’ but the country had to concentrate on destroying Hamas, and freeing Israeli captives being held in Gaza.

‘Elimination of Hamas' governmental and military capabilities, returning all of our hostages, making sure that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel and returning our residents safely both in the north and in the south,’ Netanyahu said.

As he was speaking, protests continued in Tel Aviv with protesters demanding a ceasefire deal with Hamas and allowing hostages to return home.