The Israeli army has proclaimed daily ceasefires in the southern Gaza Strip to permit the delivery of needed aid and alleviate humanitarian hardship.
This declaration coincides with the Eid-ul-Adha holiday, providing a ray of optimism for the embattled region. The truce will be in force from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, allowing aid to reach Gaza via a designated humanitarian corridor.
This corridor connects to the European hospital in Rafah, around 10 kilometers from the Kerem Shalom gate. According to the Israeli army’s announcement, this endeavor is the product of long consultations with the United Nations and other humanitarian groups, with the goal of addressing Gaza’s serious food and supply shortages.
UN agencies and aid groups have long highlighted Gaza’s grave humanitarian condition, which is compounded by Israel’s aid limitations. The interim truce is viewed as a critical step toward alleviating these problems.
AFP correspondents in Gaza reported a rare calm on Sunday morning, with no strikes, shelling, or fighting. The declaration of the truce was welcomed with international approval. Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), expressed confidence, saying, “We welcome the announcement.”
We hope that this will lead to more real measures toward addressing the long-standing difficulties that have prevented an effective humanitarian response in Gaza.” Adding to the context, the US recently sanctioned a radical Israeli group for intercepting and attacking aid to Gaza.
