Israel Begins Humanitarian Pauses as Aid Deliveries to Gaza Resume

The IDF announced Sunday that it will implement daily tactical pauses in military activity across several areas in the Gaza Strip, a move designed to facilitate the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid.

The daily pauses will take place between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. in locations without active ground operations, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and al-Mawasi. “These pauses are intended to expand humanitarian access,” the IDF said, stressing the coordination with the United Nations and other aid groups.

To support these efforts, the IDF also designated “secure routes” from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. for UN convoys and humanitarian organizations delivering food and medicine.

During a visit to Ramon Air Force Base on Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would continue permitting the entry of “minimal humanitarian supplies” and rejected what he called false accusations from the United Nations.

“The UN says we are not allowing humanitarian supplies to enter. It is allowed. There are secured convoys. There have been all along,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue to fight… until complete victory.”

While the UN has voiced concerns over food insecurity in Gaza, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials maintain that aid has been allowed in consistently, and claim the UN itself has failed to distribute it efficiently.

Reports of starvation have emerged in recent weeks, with the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza alleging that 56 people — including 22 children — have died of causes related to malnutrition. Israeli officials have denied allegations of widespread famine, pointing instead to logistical problems on the ground. Observers have noted that some photos from Gaza show well-fed adults alongside emaciated children, raising further questions about internal distribution.

Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Sunday that there are “no more excuses,” and insisted that humanitarian corridors remain open. “We will continue to fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war goals — until complete victory.”

Many Gazans cautiously welcomed the new daily aid window. “People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza,” said business owner Tamer Al-Burai. “We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up.”

Not all Israeli leaders were supportive of the move. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sharply criticized the decision to increase aid, calling it a “capitulation to Hamas’s deceitful campaign.” He renewed calls to halt all aid, take full control of Gaza, and encourage population relocation, though he stopped short of threatening to resign.

For the first time during active combat since the war began, Egyptian aid trucks crossed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border on Sunday. The Egyptian Red Crescent reported it was delivering over 1,200 tons of food aid on Sunday alone.

Egypt had previously stopped using the Rafah crossing after Israel took control of it in May 2024. Although aid resumed during a brief ceasefire in January, this is the first major Egyptian delivery during ongoing fighting.

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also resumed airdrops. On Sunday, Jordan confirmed that three planes dropped 25 tons of aid. Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as “critical and unprecedented.”

In coordination with Israel, the UAE has also begun constructing a pipeline from an Egyptian desalination facility to Gaza’s al-Mawasi area. The system, once completed, is expected to provide water to approximately 600,000 Palestinians. Israeli officials said the pipeline will operate independently of the country’s infrastructure.

The IDF itself carried out its first airdrop of aid since the war began, releasing seven pallets of food over Gaza early Sunday. Video footage showed crowds scrambling to collect the supplies, although the location was not confirmed.

President Yitzchak Herzog praised the increased aid flow and called on international agencies to step up. “Israel is doing its utmost to improve the flow of vital supplies through designated corridors, airdrops, and expanded humanitarian zones,” he posted on X.

Herzog added: “It is unacceptable that aid delivered to Gaza remains undistributed or is hijacked by Hamas, even as they falsely accuse Israel of blocking it.”

He urged UN agencies and international partners to ensure that humanitarian supplies reach civilians — and not the hands of terrorists — without delay.