Israel announced a “tactical pause” in fighting across three areas of Gaza on Sunday to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery, amid mounting international pressure and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated it would implement daily pauses from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, with additional humanitarian corridors operating between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. The IDF said the move aims to counter “false claims of deliberate starvation” in Gaza and may be expanded if needed.
More than 100 aid trucks carrying over 1,200 tons of food crossed from Egypt into Gaza, the Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also delivered 25 tons of aid by air.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomed the development but said the pause was “long overdue” and insufficient. “Access to aid must be urgently accelerated in the coming hours and days,” he said in a statement.
Despite the announcement, a hospital in Gaza reported receiving 12 bodies — including four children and a woman — following an Israeli strike near an aid distribution point on Sunday. Another 100 people were injured in the incident. It remains unclear whether the strike occurred before or during the declared pause or whether the area was covered by the corridor.
Nearly 90 children have reportedly died from starvation in recent weeks, according to local health officials, as food, medicine, and clean water remain critically scarce in the besieged enclave.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship on Sunday, detaining 21 international activists and journalists, and seizing its cargo, which included baby formula, medicine, and food, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has reportedly killed up to 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in response to attacks by Hamas. The ongoing bombardment has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, contributing to widespread famine and displacement.