Jerusalem: Israel announced on Sunday a tactical pause in military operations for 10 hours daily in specific regions of Gaza, facilitating new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates initiated aid airdrops to the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have raised global concern.
According to France24.com, Israel faces increasing international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which the government contests, as indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off without an agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN on Sunday, urging them to refrain from blaming his government for Gaza's humanitarian situation after the military established secure routes. An official stated that the air drops are not a substitute for land-based deliveries. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City reported injuries to at least 10 people caused by falling aid boxes.
The Israeli military announced that secure routes for food and medicine convoys would be operational from 6 am to 11 pm local time, starting Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher indicated that staff would increase efforts to provide food during the designated pauses. "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he stated on X.
Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip reported that Israeli fire killed 17 people and wounded 50 waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave reported dozens of deaths due to malnutrition in recent weeks, with a total of 133 deaths, including 87 children, attributed to hunger.
On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, succumbed to malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Her grieving mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, expressed anguish over her daughter's death after three months in the hospital. The Egyptian Red Crescent announced the dispatch of over 100 trucks carrying more than 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday.
Aid organizations have expressed alarm over Gaza's humanitarian crisis, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to recognize a Palestinian state in September. A coalition of 25 states, including Britain, France, and Canada, condemned the "drip feeding of aid" and criticized Israel's denial of essential humanitarian assistance as unacceptable.
Israel, which halted aid to Gaza in March and reopened it with restrictions in May, insists on controlling aid distribution to prevent diversion by militants. The government claims it has provided sufficient food during the conflict and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's population. On Friday, Israel and the U.S. appeared to withdraw from ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, citing the militants' reluctance to agree to a deal.
Amid Sunday's announcement, many Gazans expressed cautious optimism, hoping for an end to the ongoing conflict. Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner, remarked, "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza. We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up."
Hamas criticized the Israeli measures, stating that the military offensive continues. Hamas official Ali Baraka declared, "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce." Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the aid decision, calling it a capitulation to Hamas's deceptive campaign and reiterated his call to halt all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory, and encourage Palestinians to leave.
Following the May reopening of aid, Israel claimed sufficient food supplies in Gaza, accusing the UN of inefficient distribution. The UN maintained that it operates as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.