Israel denies reports of any ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza
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A ball of fire and smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on 15 October 2023. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Monday denied reports of any temporary Gaza ceasefire to allow foreign nationals to flee the enclave to neighboring Egypt.
However, the army pledged to refrain from striking routes within Gaza designated for evacuating people from the enclave's north to the south during a limited time window, from 8:00am to noon (0500 GMT to 0900 GMT).
Media reports had said Israel, Egypt and the United States had agreed the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be opened for several hours Monday in a one-off move to allow foreign nationals to flee and aid goods to enter.
But Netanyahu's office said in a statement that "there is currently no ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza in return for removing foreigners".
Aid convoys have waited on the Egyptian side but, according to witnesses, had not left the town of El-Arish, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Rafah on Monday.
The Israeli military said earlier Monday it would refrain from striking two roads in the Gaza Strip marked for residents to move south and out of the way of a possible ground offensive.
"The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will refrain from targeting the designated axis from 8:00 am (0500 GMT) until 12:00 (0900 GMT)," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X, formerly Twitter.
"For your safety take advantage of this short period of time to move south from the north of the strip and Gaza City."
Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus pledged in a separate statement that the two designated roads "would be safe to use" for that duration.
A surprise attack by Gaza's Hamas militants on southern communities in Israel left more than 1,400 dead on October 7, and retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Gaza since then have killed around 2,750 in the Palestinian territory.
An estimated one million people have been displaced within Gaza, the United Nations agency for supporting Palestinian refugees has said.
Israel has also carried out air strikes in the southern parts of Gaza in the areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah.
