Israel begins daily ‘tactical pause’ in southern Gaza to allow aid flow

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it is beginning a daily, hours-long “tactical pause” in its activities along a stretch of southern Gaza to allow for more aid deliveries, amid warnings that famine and the risk of hunger are increasing.

The pause in fighting will occur along a route in southern Gaza from 8am to 7pm every day “until further notice”, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The route runs from the main Kerem Shalom border crossing to the Salah al-Din road, which is the main highway in the strip, and then north towards the Khan Younis area.

The hiatus aims to “increase the volume of humanitarian aid” reaching the besieged Palestinian territory, the IDF said, adding that it was working with the UN and international aid agencies.

After eight months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas militants, the UN World Food Program (WFP) warns that people in the southern part of the Gaza Strip could soon suffer the same horrific levels of hunger as those seen in north of Gaza.

Carl Skau, the agency’s deputy executive director, said Friday that while there was progress in the north, the situation was deteriorating again in the south.

“Now our concerns are really in the south, where the progress we have made is being reversed,” he said.

The UN relief agency for the Palestinians (UNRWA) said on Saturday that more than 50,000 children in Gaza needed treatment for acute malnutrition.

For months, Israel has focused its military offensive on the main southern city, Rafah, considered the last stronghold of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A map released by the IDF showed that the route taken by the daily “tactical break” ran south of the city.

Sunday’s announcement came a day after eight Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in Rafah.

The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, with more than 1,200 dead, perpetrated by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7 last year.

The Israeli army’s actions were criticized internationally – especially the operations in Rafah, where many displaced Palestinians sought refuge from the war.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 37,000 people were killed and more than 85,000 injured during the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. The numbers, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, also cannot be independently verified at this time.