Israel announces brief suspension of military activities in Rafah city

The Israel military once again paused its military activities for some time in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip for "humanitarian purposes", the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said on Sunday.

It was reported that the pause took place from 10 am to 2 pm (local time) on Sunday.

Taking to X, the IDF said, "To the residents of Jabaliya, al-Daraj, Tuffah and Shuja'iyya, the evacuation corridor will remain open until 16:00 for civilians through the Salah Al-Din route. The IDF urges the civilian's immediate evacuation for their own safety."

It added, "There was a local tactical pause of the military operation for humanitarian purposes in the Rafah Camp area, until 14:00. Hamas has lost its control over northern Gaza, and is trying to prevent Gazans from moving southwards for their safety. Residents whose way is blocked, can contact the IDF..."

The Rafah border crossing is the only access point in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. An agreement was reached to allow foreign passport holders and critically injured civilians to depart through Rafah.

On November 7, thousands of civilians crossed the Rafah border crossing, which reopened on Tuesday to facilitate the passage of foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the deal to secure the release of some 240 hostages held by Hamas has not been made with the terror group "as of now" and dismissed "a lot of incorrect reports" in media in recent days about imminent agreements to free at least some of the hostages, The Times of Israel reported on Sunday.

He asserted that if a deal emerges, the Israeli public will be updated.