Pause in attacks in Gaza is “unacceptable”, says Netanyahu

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this Sunday (June 16, 2024) that it is “unacceptable” the daily pause announced by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in attacks in the south of the Gaza Strip to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. The information is from the news agency Reuters.

Via X (formerly Twitter), the IDF announced, also this Sunday (June 16), a temporary truce in military activities. The break would take place daily, from 8 am to 7 pm (local time), from Kerem Shalom, a border post in southern Israel, to the Salah Al-Din road, in Gaza, and will extend to the north of the Palestinian territory. The decision is in force until further notice.

“When the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] In the morning he heard reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause, turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him.”an official from the Israeli prime minister’s office told Reuters.

Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party, stated in a post on Telegram that the person responsible for the truce decision is a “sale” and should lose his position. He also said that the pause was not communicated to the prime minister’s office.

“Whoever decided on a ‘tactical truce’ with the aim of a humanitarian transition, especially at a time when good soldiers are dying in battle, is an evil person and a fool who should not continue in office. Unfortunately, this measure was not presented to the cabinet and is not in line with our decisions”declared Ben-Gvir.

TEMPORARY PAUSE

The Israeli army said that, in addition to the logistics of humanitarian aid, what motivated the pause were the “discussions with the UN [Organização das Nações Unidas] and international organizations”. However, the military stated that operations would continue in Rafah, the main focus of the Israeli attack on Gaza.

On May 24, the ICJ (International Court of Justice) determined that Israel could only maintain military actions in the region to protect itself against what it considers a threat from Hamas and to try to free hostages, and as long as the operation does not result in what could be considered genocide.