Israel announces "tactical pauses" in some areas of Gaza to allow entry of humanitarian aid.

The Israeli army has announced that it will carry out "tactical pauses" in its military operations in parts of the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons. "The pause will begin in the areas where the IDF does not operate: Al Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, every day until further notice," the army said in a statement on Telegram. This Sunday, they will begin a 10-hour daily halt. Safe routes will be designated for the passage of humanitarian convoys. The announcement comes after the deaths of more than 100 people from starvation, most of them in recent weeks, according to UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).

"In accordance with the directives of the political echelon and as part of the ongoing effort by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), through its Humanitarian Aid Center, to increase the reach of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, starting today (Sunday), a local tactical ceasefire of military activity will begin, to address humanitarian needs, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.," the Israeli military announced on its account on the social network X.

In the same statement, Israeli forces clarified that this halt will be implemented "every day until further notice" in areas where the IDF "does not operate," such as Al Mawasi, Deir al-Bala, and Gaza City. "This decision has been coordinated with the UN and international organizations following discussions," they added, noting that "permanent safe routes have also been defined, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.." The objective of this measure is none other than to guarantee "the safe movement" of humanitarian convoys from the United Nations and other international aid organizations, so that they can "enter and distribute food and medicine" to the population throughout the enclave.

"The IDF will continue to support the humanitarian effort on the ground, alongside ongoing maneuvers and offensive activity against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, to protect the citizens of the State of Israel. The IDF stands ready to expand the scope of the operation as needed," the military statement concluded. President Isaac Herzog applauded the "important" steps taken by his armed forces and urged the UN and other international NGOs to collaborate with the Israeli administration in the occupied Palestinian territories (COGAT) and "do their part and ensure that aid reaches those in need without delay."

"It is unacceptable that aid delivered to Gaza remains undistributed or is being intercepted by Hamas, even as they falsely accuse Israel of blocking it," Herzog added, emphasizing the efforts of the Israeli government, which is doing "everything possible" to "strengthen and modernize the humanitarian response in Gaza." This announcement comes after the Israeli Army itself announced this Saturday the launch of a new aid plan for Gaza that includes the airdrops it had announced this past Friday and that began during the early hours of Sunday, accompanied by assistance missions to guarantee the entry of UN humanitarian convoys and even "humanitarian pauses" in the delivery areas.

This is a measure that emerged following a wave of international criticism of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and authorities in the enclave raising the number of Palestinian deaths from hunger or malnutrition to more than 120 since the start of the offensive unleashed by the Israeli Army following the attacks of October 7, 2023.

In this sense, the decision taken by the Israeli "political establishment" is, according to its statement, to "refute the accusations" that the country's government is implementing a policy of deliberate famine , according to the military, who warn the UN and international NGOs that it is now in their hands to prevent the militias of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the authority of the Strip, from obtaining these shipments.