JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli military authorized a four-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.
The window between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time appears to apply primarily to air strikes and does not apply to the areas where Israeli soldiers already are operating. The Israel Defense Forces also warned Gazan civilians not to return to their homes in areas they have been asked to evacuate.
“The IDF will respond to any attempt to exploit this window to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said.
Following the start of the humanitarian window, several volleys of rockets were fired from Gaza toward southern Israel.
The IDF said in a second statement that it detonated three tunnel routes on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
The Israel Air Force also targeted five mosques overnight said to be hiding weapons and housing tunnel access shafts.
“IDF forces are continuing with the efforts to degrade the tunnel network in Gaza, eliminate rocket-launching capabilities, and demolish terror elements operating from within the Gaza Strip, in order to guarantee security and safety to Israeli civilians,” the IDF said in the statement.
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