By Jacob Burg
Israel said on July 27 that it would pause military operations in a few select areas of the Gaza Strip where the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is not operating for 10 hours each day to allow the entry of humanitarian assistance, over international concern of hunger in the enclave.
The previous day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that, beginning Saturday evening, they would begin airdrops of humanitarian supplies and aid into the Gaza Strip.
“The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in Gaza; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas,” it said on X. “The U.N. and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.”
“Combat operations have not ceased,” it added.
Military operations will cease in specified areas from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time until further notice in Al-Mawasi in central Deir al-Balah, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, and in Gaza City towards the north.
The Israeli military added that assigned secure routes for convoys carrying food and medicine will also be established from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time, beginning on Sunday.
Staff will increase efforts to feed the hungry during the military pauses in the designated areas, United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said.
“Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,” Fletcher wrote on X. “[We’re] in contact with our teams on the ground, who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window.”
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was delivering more than 100 trucks with more than 1,200 metric tons of food aid to southern Gaza over the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday.
The development comes after more than 100 international aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam, signed a statement earlier last week amid concerns of growing famine in Gaza and the fear that aid seekers could be shot while traveling to the few functioning aid distribution sites in the enclave.
The aid organizations urged Israel and Hamas to implement an immediate cease-fire, and for all land crossings into the Gaza Strip to remain open so the full flow of humanitarian supplies can reach the territory.
Last week, a group of 25 states, including France, Britain, and Canada, criticized what they called the “drip feeding of aid” to Gaza and said Israel’s blocking of lifesaving humanitarian aid was objectionable.
In May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed, Israeli-initiated alternative to U.N.-led relief efforts began distributing aid in Hamas-free zones in the enclave. The move followed Israeli allegations that Hamas had exploited previous aid channels.
Operating from four sites in southern and central Gaza, GHF distributes aid, funded in part by a $30 million U.S. State Department grant, with coordination from Israeli authorities. The model features private contractors and Israeli military security.
Major aid groups such as U.N. agencies, Oxfam, and Médecins Sans Frontières, among others, have refused to join the effort, citing concerns over civilian safety, military involvement, and incompatibility with humanitarian principles.
The GHF continues to distribute aid amid ongoing criticism and calls from multiple countries to restore access for U.N. agencies. According to its latest figures, the foundation has delivered nearly 89 million meals.
Israel had cut off the flow of aid to the territory in March but resumed it at GHF distribution zones two months later.
The nation defended its actions and said enough food has been allowed to reach Gaza during the war, and placed blame on Hamas for the suffering of the millions living in Gaza.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign citizens and kidnapped 251.
On Friday, Israel and the United States pulled back from cease-fire negotiations with Hamas, accusing the terrorist group of not wanting a deal to end the war.
Ryan Morgan, Evgenia Filimianova, and Reuters contributed to this report.
