JERUSALEM - The Israeli army is to halt its military operations in Gaza for three hours today to allow Palestinian residents of the Hamas-ruled territory to obtain supplies.
The temporary cease-fire will take place in the whole of the Gaza Strip "from 1 pm to 4 pm (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET) today, Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner said of Israel.
Three hours of the truce is scheduled to be held every two days.
"This is to enable the replenishment of supplies and allow aid activities," he said.
Lerner said that Israeli forces will respond to any aggression towards them during the break.
A spokesman said he heard a rocket fired from Gaza into Israel shortly after the truce was to begin.
"If calm was supposed to begin 14 hours, which has not yet begun," he said.
The announcement follows the decision by Israel to open a "humanitarian corridor" in Gaza in response to growing concerns about shortages of food, water and medicines in the territory.
Israel says its military operation aimed at halting the firing of rockets into southern Israel by Hamas, which controls Gaza since 2007. But the 35 rockets landed in Israeli territory on Tuesday, five and struck southern Israel late Wednesday morning, Israeli police said.
There was no immediate report of injuries in attacks on Wednesday, while a rocket caused minor injuries Tuesday in a three-month-old baby in Gedera, about 40 km (24 miles) north of Gaza.
Around 600 Palestinians, including at least 100 women and children, have died in Gaza since the campaign began on December 27, according to Palestinian medical sources. Seven Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.
Israeli warplanes and helicopter gunships hit 30 targets in Gaza overnight, while land-based and naval vessels at sea artillery fired at Palestinian fighters in support of Israeli ground troops, the Defense Forces Israel reported that the campaign entered its 12th day.
Food, water, medicine and electricity shortages have been reported in Gaza throughout the campaign, and a call by France and Egypt for a humanitarian truce appears to win the support of some key players in the Security Council of the UN tuesday.
Israel opposes any temporary suspension of the campaign to allow replenishing its arsenal, but offers the outline of his "humanitarian corridor" to allow the proposed aid to reach Palestinians.
"This will open areas for certain periods of time during which the population would be able to acquire and receive help," a statement from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said.
The announcements followed the bloodiest days of Israeli ground offensive to date, when Israeli bombardment hit a UN school in northern Gaza that was being used as a refuge for hundreds of civilians.
The Israeli army said Hamas militants were firing mortars from the school, prompting an artillery strike that killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens more. UN officials said that militants were not at school.
And the Palestine Red Crescent Society said five ambulances had been hit by Israeli forces so far, killing six people.
The Israeli army said it had no knowledge of such incidents.