JERUSALEM
Israel announced a four-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
In a statement, the army said the humanitarian window will commence between 15:00 local time (12:00GMT) to 19:00 local time (16:00GMT) except for areas in which its soldiers are currently operating.
"We will respond to any attempt to exploit this window to harm Israeli civilians and soldiers," the army said.
The Israeli army, however, warned that Palestinian residents "must not return to areas that have previously been asked to evacuate."
Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee has confirmed the 4-hour ceasefire.
He, however, said that the truce will not be applied to the areas of Beit Hanoun and al-Shujaya in northern Gaza and Abassan, Khuza'a and Rafah in southern Gaza.
Since July 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip – from air, land and sea – with devastating bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire from the strip.
At least 1285 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than 7100 others injured in the ongoing Israeli attacks in the blockaded territory.
At least 56 Israelis – 53 soldiers and three civilians – have been killed since the hostilities began.
Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed in Israel's three-week-long operation "Cast Lead."
www.aa.com.tr/en
