Ground offensive in Gaza
Ground offensive in GazaFlash 90

Israel will hold its fire in most of Gaza for a seven-hour "humanitarian window" on Monday, the IDF announced on Sunday night.

According to a statement by the Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (COGAT), the ceasefire will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Israel time (0700 GMT and 1400 GMT) in all of Gaza besides the area east of Rafiah, "where clashes were still ongoing and there was Israeli military presence."

COGAT head General Yoav Mordechai warned in the statement that "if the truce will be violated, the army will respond with fire toward the source of the fire.”

Mordechai also called on residents of Abasan al Kabira and Abasan al Saghira, two villages east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, to return to their homes beginning 0500 GMT on Monday.

Hamas has taken advantage of past temporary ceasefires to continue to fire rockets at Israeli citizens.

On Friday, the group violated a 72-hour ceasefire shortly after it went into effect, killing two IDF soldiers and kidnapping a third, Hadar Goldin, who was declared dead by the IDF on Saturday night.