In order to enable aid distribution, the Israeli army declared on Sunday that it will institute a daily “tactical pause of military activity” in a portion of the southern Gaza Strip throughout the day.
In a statement, the army stated that “a local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 08:00 until 19:00 every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards” .
The decision was made in response to talks with the UN and other organizations, it added, as part of attempts to “increase the volumes of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip”.
Humanitarian organizations have been warning for months about a severe shortage of food and other necessities in the beleaguered Palestinian region, but Israel has consistently defended its efforts to allow aid deliveries, notably through the Kerem Shalom gate.
More than 8,000 children under five in Gaza have reportedly received treatment for acute malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization.
Though progress has halted in recent days, international mediators have been putting pressure on Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement outlined by US President Joe Biden to allow for larger relief delivery and hostage-prison exchanges.
World Food Programme deputy executive director Carl Skau said recently that “with lawlessness inside the Strip… and active conflict”, it has become “close to impossible to deliver the level of aid that meets the growing demands on the ground”.
