Stop our fighting against Hamas

"We did not stop our fighting against Hamas," IDF spokesperson says about the tactical pause in southern Gaza

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Paula Hancocks and Florence Davey-Attley

The Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari admitted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could’ve been clearer when it came to explaining its announcement of a “tactical pause” in military activity along a route in southern Gaza to allow aid distribution.

“Sometimes when you say a tactical pause, people might think that we’re stopping the fighting in Gaza,” Hagari said in response to a question by CNN’s Paula Hancocks during a briefing to international media in Kerem Shalom on Monday. “We should’ve clarified better that we are fighting in Gaza, that we are fighting in Rafah and we created this safe pass, in those hours, to make sure the distribution [of aid] is ongoing.”

Hagari said the military did not stop fighting against Hamas, and the decision was made by the military, not the Israeli government.

“We are a democracy, and we are being ordered by the cabinet and our political echelon, the Ministry of Defense, and this is how the IDF works,” he explained in response to a question by Hancocks. “Our order was to make sure humanitarian aid was getting into Gaza. Israel is working according to the international law. We will keep on doing so, this is what the cabinet have ordered us to do.”

On Sunday, the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza denied that a “tactical pause” was in effect in the southern Gaza Strip. 

“Talking about a tactical cessation of the war is an Israeli lie,” the GMO said in a statement Sunday. ⁠”We are still demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing to meet the needs of the population, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.”