Israel announces "tactical pause" in Southern Gaza for aid deliveries

Tel Aviv: Israel's military announced a "local, tactical pause of military activity" in the southern Gaza Strip to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

According to the military's statement, the pause will occur daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm along the road leading from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din road and northwards. The designated humanitarian route extends to Rafah's European Hospital, approximately 10 kilometers from Kerem Shalom.

This pause, effective during daylight hours, comes after months of warnings about severe food and essential supply shortages in the besieged territory.

The announcement followed a deadly day for Israeli forces, with eight soldiers killed in an explosion near Rafah and three others dying in separate incidents. This marked one of the heaviest losses for the Israeli army in its ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences for the losses and reaffirmed the war's objectives, despite the "heavy and unsettling price." Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, which began on October 27, has resulted in 309 military deaths to date.

UN agencies and aid organizations have repeatedly raised alarms about the dire situation in Gaza, exacerbated by overland access restrictions and the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt since early May. Despite Israel's efforts to allow aid through the Kerem Shalom border near Rafah, issues with militant looting and distribution challenges have persisted.

AFP correspondents in Gaza reported no strikes or fighting on Sunday morning, although the military emphasized that hostilities in the southern Gaza Strip had not ceased. The decision aims to "increase the volumes of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip" after discussions with the UN and other organizations.

This move coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The United States has been urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire plan proposed by President Joe Biden. Recently, the U.S. imposed sanctions on an extremist Israeli group for obstructing aid convoys bound for Gaza.

The World Food Programme's deputy executive director, Carl Skau, recently highlighted the near-impossibility of delivering sufficient aid amid the lawlessness and active conflict in Gaza. G7 leaders have called for unhindered humanitarian relief for civilians in need.

Efforts for a new truce, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, have stalled, reigniting fears of a broader Middle East conflict. Recent escalations between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant ally in Lebanon, have underscored these concerns. The two top UN officials in Lebanon urged all parties to cease fire, warning of the real danger of a sudden, wider conflict.

During his Middle East trip to promote a Gaza truce, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that resolving the conflict in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire would help mitigate Hezbollah-Israel violence.

Hamas demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, conditions that Israel has consistently rejected.

While Blinken stated that Israel supports the latest truce plan, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed it, facing opposition from his far-right coalition partners against a ceasefire.

The conflict, triggered by an unprecedented attack on October 7 that killed 1,194 people, mostly civilians, has led to Israel's retaliatory actions, causing at least 37,296 deaths in Gaza, predominantly civilians.