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Israel announced a “tactical pause” in its military operations in some regions of Gaza on Sunday, stating that it would facilitate the opening of secure land routes for the UN and aid organisations to address a growing hunger crisis.
The military indicated that it had started to drop food from the air into the territory and vehemently denied accusations that it was employing starvation as a tactic against Palestinian civilians.
In a statement, the army said that it coordinated its actions with the UN and international organisations to “enhance the volume of humanitarian assistance entering the Gaza Strip.”
There was no immediate official reaction from the UN or non-governmental organisations operating in Gaza, and privately sceptical humanitarian sources stated they were waiting to see the outcomes of the Israeli announcement on the ground.
The cessation of hostilities would be restrictive to areas identified by the military as places where Israeli troops are not currently engaged, including Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City and would occur daily from 10:00 am (0700 GMT) until 8:00 pm.
However, the Israeli statement also noted that “designated secure routes” had been established throughout Gaza to allow safe passage for UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine.
Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza on March 2 following the collapse of ceasefire negotiations. In late May, it began permitting a small flow of aid to resume amid warnings of an impending starvation crisis.
Before Israel announced the aerial distribution of seven pallets of food, the United Arab Emirates declared that it would resume aid drops, while Britain announced it would collaborate with partners, including Jordan, to assist.
On Saturday alone, the Palestinian civil defence agency reported that over 50 additional Palestinians had died due to Israeli strikes and shootings, some while waiting near food distribution points.
Humanitarian leaders are highly sceptical that air drops can provide sufficient food safely to address the escalating hunger crisis affecting over two million residents of Gaza.
However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported the initiative, promising to work with Jordan to restart air drops. The United Arab Emirates announced it would initiate air drops “immediately.”
On Saturday evening, a live feed from the Handala boat, belonging to the pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla, showed Israeli forces boarding the vessel.
The soldiers moved in as the boat neared Gaza, and three live video streams of the event were cut off shortly thereafter.
Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in reaching many regions mean that AFP is unable to independently verify casualty figures and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
Israel began its military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack in October 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians. The Israeli campaign has resulted in the deaths of 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the territory controlled by Hamas.
