ISRAEL began “tactical pauses” in fighting for “humanitarian purposes” from 10am to 8pm (07:00-17:00 GMT) in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, starting today.
Despite the pauses, Israeli forces have killed at least 63 Palestinians in attacks on Gaza since the early hours of Sunday, as six more Palestinians starve to death.
Meanwhile, the aid group Oxfam International has said that small Israeli concessions on humanitarian assistance will not be enough to reverse the damage of months of near-total restrictions.
“Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won’t undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza,” Bushra Khalidi, an Oxfam official for Israel-Palestine, said in a statement.
“What’s needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.
“Anything less risks being little more than a tactical gesture.”
Also, Trump says Israel will have to ‘make a decision’ on Gaza.
Speaking to reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the US president blamed Hamas for the lack of progress towards a ceasefire, saying the group had “hardened” its stance on releasing Israeli captives.
Hamas has said it would release the remaining captives as part of a comprehensive deal to end the war, something Israel has said it is not willing to do.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Donald Trump said.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 59,733 people and wounded 144,477. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
