Israel announced a 10-hour “tactical pause in military activity” in three areas of Gaza on Sunday as international outrage grows over starvation inside the Palestinian enclave.
“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 Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday.
The pause, which covers the areas of Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and part of Gaza City, will begin at 10 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) Sunday and last until 8 p.m., continuing every day “until further notice,” the military said.
Designated “secure routes” will also be established from six am to 11 pm local time, to enable UN and humanitarian organization convoys to safely deliver and distribute food and medicine across Gaza, the IDF said.
A map provided with the military statement depicted most of Gaza as a “dangerous combat zone” with the area along the Mediterranean coast designated for the pause in military operations.
