Gaza (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Israeli authorities announced a daily pause of their operations on Sunday in the territories of Gaza and the development of new aid corridors, after months of international condemnation over a worsening hunger situation spreading in the Palestinian enclave.
Facing increasing international denunciation over Palestinians starving to death in Gaza, Israel’s military states it will start a daily “humanitarian pause” in a seaside section of the enclave, and establish corridors for UN convoys to push aid deliveries from Sunday.
How will the new Gaza aid corridors operate?
The Israeli military stated it would discontinue activity in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0700-1700 GMT) until further notification, areas that had not restarted ground operations since March, when the Gaza offensive resumed.
“To increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, a local tactical pause in military activity will take place for humanitarian purposes,”
\the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated in a statement on Sunday.
The IDF stated that from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time, “secure routes” will be established to allow UN and humanitarian convoys to travel safely and deliver food and medicine throughout Gaza.
Israel has also started dropping airdrops into Gaza, after stating earlier this week that it would permit foreign nations to do so. Humanitarian groups have sharply criticised the process as expensive, inefficient, and risky for those on the ground.
Why are humanitarian groups skeptical of aid airdrops?
On Thursday, the U.N. announced that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would enable increased humanitarian aid, stating that Israel has not provided sufficient alternative routes for convoys, which impedes aid delivery.
Global apprehension regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has increased, and on Friday, Israel and the U.S. declared that they are discontinuing ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, stating a clear understanding that the militants, without any indication otherwise, consciously did not intend to pursue an agreement.
How is the hunger crisis impacting Gaza’s hospitals?
Healthcare workers are reporting extremely worrying situations on the ground, and hospitals are flooded with many patients suffering from malnutrition. With more evidence of widespread hunger, the Israeli military continues to proclaim, “there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip,” and has dismissed claims of hunger as “a false campaign by Hamas.”
Last week, aid groups said people across Gaza’s 2.2 million residents are experiencing widespread hunger after Israel placed the territory under a blockade in March, which has only been eased partially in May and added restrictions.
What is the current death toll due to malnutrition?
According to the Gaza Health Ministry in the enclave, dozens of Gazans have died from malnutrition in recent weeks. Since the start of the war, 127 people, including 85 children, have died from malnutrition.
The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 individuals, taking them to Gaza. Since then, Israel’s war against Hamas has seen nearly 60,000 people killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, and Gaza health authorities have declared Holocaust-level destruction in Gaza, as this has destroyed much of the enclave and displaced virtually the entire population.
