Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that a lot of progress had been made with regards to Gaza ceasefire deal and it could happen at any time, Al Jazeera reported citing Fox News.
“They’ve made a lot of progress, and they’re close [….] We’re optimistic and hopeful that any day now, we will have a ceasefire agreement where at least half the hostages, including the deceased, will be released, and at the end of that 60-day period, the remaining hostages will be released,” Rubio said.
The Israeli army has announced a “tactical pause” in military operations in some parts of Gaza for humanitarian purposes.
“The pause will begin in the areas where the IDF (Israeli military) is not operating: Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, every day until further notice,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
Designated secure routes would be in place for the safe passage of humanitarian convoys, it added.
Egyptian state-linked media on Sunday reported that aid trucks had begun entering the Gaza Strip as Israel announced a “tactical pause” in parts of the devastated territory to allow deliveries.
“Egyptian aid trucks begin to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing,” Al-Qahera News posted on X, alongside footage of aid convoys moving in the border area.
The Israeli military said Sunday the daily pause in the enclave, running from 10:00am to 8:00pm, would apply only to specific areas, including Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and parts of Gaza City, where Israeli troops are not currently operating.
It added secure routes had been opened across the enclave to facilitate UN and aid agency convoys.
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