Middle East latest: Israel announces pause in fighting in parts of Gaza to allow aid in

Gaza latest

Israel announces pause in fighting to allow aid into GazaMapped: The parts of Gaza where the pause appliesMoves comes amid starvation – with quarter of young children ‘malnourished’As pressure grows on UK leader to recognise Palestinian stateExplained: What recognising Palestinian state actually means

07:31:59 Where is the pause in Gaza?

Israel’s pause will last 10 hours today, and applies to just three parts of Gaza.

These span the north, centre and south of the territory.

07:29:01 Israel announces pause in fighting to allow aid into Gaza

As concern continues to grow worldwide over the suffering in Gaza, Israel has announced a “tactical pause” in fighting.

This only applies to three parts of the territory – Muwasi, Deir al Balah and Gaza City – and will be in effect daily from 10am to 8pm local time (8am to 6pm UK) until further notice.

The IDF said it would also establish secure routes to help the UN and aid agencies deliver food and other supplies.

These, the military said, will be in place permanently from 6am to 11pm.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel had already agreed to aid airdrops over Gaza – despite maintaining there is no starvation.

07:26:18 Welcome back

We’re resuming our live coverage, after Israel announced a temporary pause in fighting in certain parts of Gaza.

This gives the chance to address the spiralling humanitarian situation in the territory, where Palestinians are suffering from starvation.

The IDF continues to insist there is no famine in Gaza, but on Friday gave the greenlight for other countries to drop aid from the air.

It also said it conducted its own airdrop of aid, including pallets of supplies provided by international organisations.

Reports suggest some airdrops have taken place already, with some injured after fighting broke out.

We’ll have the latest here.

23:30:01 We’re pausing our coverage for today

We’re taking a pause on our coverage of the Middle East for today.

Sir Keir Starmer has so far ignored cross-party calls for him to recognise Palestinian statehood, instead focusing on efforts to get aid into Gaza in statements made today.

Meanwhile images and devastating stories continue to come from Gaza as starvation worsens in the region, with aid being heavily restricted by the Israeli military.

More children have been confirmed to have died of malnutrition-related causes, bringing the total to at least 85 in the past three weeks, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Charity MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has warned that 25% of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished.

Tonight, the IDF released a statement saying that Israel had resumed airdrop aid and that humanitarian corridors would also be established for United Nations convoys, though it did not say when or where.

22:39:48 In photos: Children beg for food at community kitchens

Photos from earlier today show Palestinian children desperately trying to get donated food at community kitchens in the Gaza Strip.

At least 85 children have been confirmed to have died of malnutrition-related causes in the past three weeks.

22:30:52 Watch: Desperate Palestinians jump on food trucks

Videos from Gaza show Palestinians desperately scrambling for food on top of trucks.

MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said Israel is using  starvation as a weapon, but the IDF says it “categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians”.

It also denies that there is starvation in the region.

22:00:04 Israeli protesters urge government to keep negotiating for hostages

Relatives of Israeli hostages and their supporters gathered for the weekly rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday before marching on towards the US Embassy for the second week in a row.

It comes after Israel and the US recalled their delegations from negotiations with Hamas, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying yesterday his government was considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks.

Ela Haimi, wife of hostage Tel Haimi, spoke at the march, saying: “This week we were hoping again for a headline, breaking news of an approaching agreement… and another crash.

“Another hope that evaporated, and I no longer know who or what to believe, what is true, what is really happening.”

She said Israel was capable of “extraordinary operations” but that “when it comes to returning its sons, the door slams shut or doesn’t open at all”.

Or Levy, who was taken by Hamas on 7 October before being returned home in an exchange, addressed Donald Trump directly, saying “only you have the power to break this cruel and dangerous stalemate”.

“I urge you: please, use every tool, every means of influence, to bring them all home – my friends, my brothers, every soul still trapped in darkness,” he added. 

“A comprehensive deal is the only path forward and you and only you can make it happen.”

21:17:56 Watch: Crowds gather to identify the dead as starvation worsens in Gaza

The crisis amid the war in Gaza is worsening, with people dying of starvation due to a lack of aid.

A charity has warned 25% of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished.

One mother told us her children hadn’t eaten in a week.

Watch Lisa Holland’s report on the crisis below.

20:41:04 Israel says it will resume airdrop aid to Gaza tonight

The IDF has just released a statement saying that Israel will resume airdrop aid to Gaza tonight.

The Israeli forces said humanitarian corridors would also be established for United Nations convoys, though it did not say when or where.

The update comes after increasing accounts of starvation-related deaths in Gaza following months of experts’ warnings of famine. 

The statement added that the military “emphasises that combat operations have not ceased” in Gaza against Hamas and reiterated the Israeli government’s stance that there is “no starvation” in the territory. 

“The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organisations,” the military added in the statement. 

The military also said it was prepared to implement “humanitarian pauses” in densely populated areas.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, saying the supply had to be controlled to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas militants.

20:22:01 Charity boss says workers in Gaza are ‘getting thin’ in desperate circumstances

The chief executive of Save the Children UK says the charity’s workers in Gaza are “getting thin” and “don’t know how to feed their children” amid famine-like conditions in the region.

Speaking on The World with Yalda Hakim, Moazzam Malik said the charity had around 220 people working across the Gaza Strip, and that they were lacking food, water and shelter along with the rest of the population.

“They show up at work because they’re heroes and they feel like they can do something productive,” he said, but added their situation had become “desperate”.

He also said some of the workers had been displaced up to 15 times.

His comments come after Save the Children joined more than 100 western-aligned charities and NGOs in demanding an end to the war, saying in a statement that their aid workers were now standing in the same food queues where civilians risk being shot.

Mr Malik welcomed the joint statement from 28 countries -including the UK – saying the war in Gaza “must end now”, but added it was “just not good enough”.

He said: “We’re 21 months into this horror.People are dying. The pictures are horrific. This is not a surprise. Aid agencies and the UN predicted that this would happen. The hand-wringing and the statements are very welcome, but we need to see action.”

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