The Israeli army confirmed that it has not agreed to any ceasefire in its military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but will continue to allow short-term pauses in certain locations to allow humanitarian aid to enter.
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht said: “There is no ceasefire, and I repeat that there is no ceasefire. What we are doing is that this four-hour truce is tactical pauses in specific locations (to allow access) for humanitarian aid.”
The White House stated earlier that Israel would begin daily four-hour pauses in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip to enable Palestinians to escape.
Israeli forces have completely surrounded Gaza City in the past few days and the army said it would allow civilians safe passage through the main Salah al-Din Road for three hours a day, but few seemed determined to take the risk and embark on this journey until Wednesday.
But the number of people leaving the city has increased in the past forty-eight hours.
“We are still seeing individuals moving in the tens of thousands, despite the pressure from Hamas not to move,” Hecht said, adding that 64 trucks entered Gaza on Wednesday to provide urgently needed aid in the Strip.
Hecht added that Israel is trying to increase the number of trucks in the future.
Hecht reiterated that the military campaign aims to eliminate Hamas following its October 7 cross-border attack, which Israel says killed 1,400 people and took 239 hostages, adding that the campaign is “bearing fruit.”
Palestinian officials said that 10,812 Gazans had been killed as of Thursday as a result of Israeli air and artillery bombardment, and that 40 percent of them were children, while basic supplies were running out and areas were turning into rubble due to the non-stop bombing.
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2023-11-10 06:54:34
