For aid deliveries

Israeli army: “Tactical pause” in southern Gaza

On Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced a daily "tactical pause" of several hours in its activities in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The decision is intended to allow more aid deliveries, according to reports.

Until further notice, the interruption will apply from 8 am to 7 pm (7 am to 6 pm CEST) along the road leading from the Kerem Shalom border crossing to the Salah al-Din road and then further north, the armed forces announced via Telegram and X (formerly Twitter). The United Nations and other international organizations were involved in the consultations.

"Situation is deteriorating rapidly"
Due to the fighting between Israel's army and Hamas, the World Food Programme (WFP) had warned that the people in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist terrorist organization, could soon suffer from the same catastrophic hunger situation as those in the northern areas before. "The situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating rapidly," said WFP Deputy Director Carl Skau after a two-day visit to the region on Friday.

One million people displaced from Rafah
One million people have been displaced from Rafah on the border with Egypt and are crammed into a crowded area along the beach in the sweltering summer heat. In the northern part of Gaza, the supply of relief supplies has improved somewhat, said Skau. However, the distribution of food has not been sustainably secured.

On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other Palestinian groups attacked southern Israel, murdering around 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authorities - which cannot be independently verified - more than 37,000 Palestinians were killed in the course of the resulting war. Around four-fifths of the population within the sealed-off coastal strip have had to leave their homes behind.