Israel will halt its Cast Lead operation in Gaza one hour after high noon Wednesday to allow for more humanitarian aid to pass through Gaza crossings. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday night the plan for more aid although hundreds of trucks have flowed into Gaza throughout the counterterrorist campaign.
At exactly 1 p.m., when the IDF was to stop firing, the Code Red siren sounded in Sderot warning of an incoming rocket. There were no reports of damage or injuries. Several minutes earlier, a rocket exploded in an open area outside the city.
The Olmert government previously rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour break in fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, arguing that the claim of a crisis is bogus and that hundreds of trucks have entered Gaza during the fighting.
The government hopes the increased aid will reduce pressure for a "humanitarian ceasefire" designed to halt fighting enough in order to allow the transfer of more food and merchandise.
According to IDF Major Peter Lerner, the three-hour break in Israeli fire will give Gaza residents free access to stock up on goods provided by international aid organizations.
One unexpected benefit of the extra aid is the message that Israel is caring for Gaza Arabs at the same time that Hamas uses them for shields, as highlighted by Tuesday's mortar shell attack from a United Nations school. Israel shelled the building in self-defense to protect soldiers from the attacks.
Senior IDF officers worked out a plan that would allow for Air Force, Navy and ground troops to stop firing for three hours a day. Hamas did not make a parallel offer to halt rocket and mortar fire.
Simultaneously, the Security Cabinet is meeting to discuss the possibility of intensifying the Cast Lead operation that has driven Hamas leaders underground and killed more than 600 people, mostly terrorists.