Israel halts fighting in 3 Gaza areas to allow aid entry as hunger grows

Pause in Gaza war operations

- Agencies

The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of measures including airdrops as concerns grow over surging hunger and as Israel faces international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war.

The military said the “tactical pause” in Gaza City, Deir al-Ba-Jah and Al-Muwasi, three areas with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. The pause runs from 10:00am to 8:00pm daily until further notice. “Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

‘As the military had warned, combat operations continued otherwise. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 38 Palestinians from late Saturday into Sunday, including 23 seeking aid. An airstrike on a Gaza City apartment killed a woman and her four children. Another strike killed four people, including a boy, his mother and grandfather, in the eastern Zaytoun neighborhood.

Israel’s military had no immediate comment.

Risk of famine

Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid to the population of over 2 million because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule, without providing evidence.

Images in recent days of emaciated children in Gaza have fanned global criticism of Israel, including by close allies, who call for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has created. Much of Gaza’s population, squeezed by fighting into ever tinier patches of land, now relies on aid.