Israel to stop bombing for 3hrs

2009-01-07 12:04

Jerusalem - Israel will halt bombing the Hamas-run Gaza Strip for three hours every day beginning on Wednesday, a military spokesperson told AFP.

"It was decided to suspend bombings between one and four o'clock (11:00 GMT and 14:00 GMT) every day starting today," she said.

The announcement came hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would open a humanitarian corridor into the Gaza Strip, where it has waged a deadly 12-day campaign against the Islamist Hamas movement.

"In order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to adopt a proposal by the security establishment to open a humanitarian corridor into the Gaza Strip to assist the population," said a statement from his office.

"This involves opening up geographical areas for limited periods of time during which the population will be able to receive the aid and stock up."

The statement came as mounting civilian casualties in Israel's war in Gaza upped the international pressure on the Jewish state to stop its largest military operation since the 2006 Lebanon war.

- AFP