Israel resumes airlift of food aid to Gaza Strip

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced today a "tactical pause" in fighting in three areas of the Gaza Strip, as part of measures to deal with the worsening humanitarian situation.

The Israeli military said it would halt activities in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City from 10:00 to 20:00 (8:00 to 18:00 in Lisbon) until further notice.

The military also said it had no current ground operations in these three areas, but admitted there had been fighting and attacks in each of them in recent weeks.

In a statement, the IDF said it will establish designated humanitarian corridors to “facilitate the safe movement of UN caravans delivering food and medicine to the population.”

The announcement comes after months of warnings from experts about famine due to Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid. International criticism, including from Israel's allies, has intensified following the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians in recent weeks while trying to reach food distribution sites.

Also today, hours earlier, the IDF resumed airdrops of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

"In accordance with the directives of the political leadership, the IDF recently carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," the army said.

According to a statement published on the Telegram messaging platform, the airdrop, carried out in coordination with international organizations and COGAT (the Israeli body that manages civil affairs), included seven pallets containing flour, sugar and canned food.