Israel pauses attacks in some of Gaza to allow limited aid, as global criticism grows
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Israel pauses attacks in some of Gaza to allow limited aid, as global criticism grows
Israel pauses attacks in some of Gaza to allow limited aid, as global criticism grows. Israel’s military will pause fighting for 10 hours each day in Gaza’s largest population centers. On the first day of the pause, limited aid supplies were delivered into Gaza. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza and blames Hamas and the U.N., which says it has brought in only a small percentage of the aid needed to sustain the population of Gaza because it was simply too risky. The U.S. pulled out of the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, last week, the most recent attempt to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. and more than 1,000 people have died since the war began in October 2023, including 87 children. and the World Health Organization says Gaza is facing mass starvation. and that the hunger crisis there has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation” and is “astonishingly desperate” and “unprecedented”
toggle caption Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Israel’s military will pause fighting for 10 hours each day in Gaza’s largest population centers in order to allow more food aid into the besieged areas, the country announced over the weekend. On the first day of the pause, limited aid supplies were delivered into Gaza.
The daily respite in military operations began Sunday at 10 a.m. and will continue daily through 8 p.m. in Gaza City, Deir al Balah and Al-Mawasi, a large tent camp along the coast. Those are the areas where Israel has ordered Palestinians to shelter from the ongoing violence.
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The major change in Israel’s offensive in Gaza follows growing international criticism over Israel’s restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid. The World Health Organization says Gaza is facing mass starvation, and the head of the U.N. World Food Programme said last week that the hunger crisis there has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation.”
toggle caption Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 133 Palestinians have died from hunger and malnutrition since the beginning of the war in October 2023, including 87 children.
Israel denies there is starvation and blames Hamas and the United Nations
The Israeli military has denied that there is starvation in Gaza and says that is a “false campaign promoted by Hamas.”
Israeli military officers on Sunday brought journalists into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where reporters were shown hundreds of plastic wrapped pallets filled with pasta, flour, oil, bottled water and baby formula.
Israeli government spokesman Elon Levy said this was the United Nations’ fault. “The aid is here in Israel,” he said. “Israel is urging the United Nations to do its job. Here are hundreds and hundreds of pallets of aid that the U.N. is letting rot in the sun. And instead of taking responsibility for that failure, they’re blaming Israel, and pretending that Israel isn’t letting this aid in altogether.”
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In a statement Sunday, the U.N.’s World Food Programme said since May 21 it had brought in only a small percentage of the aid needed to sustain the population of Gaza because it was simply too risky. It said the aid was delivered under “extremely challenging circumstances that put civilians and aid workers at tremendous risk.”
Israeli officials have blamed Hamas for stoking chaos around aid distribution sites in Gaza. Last Sunday, the Israeli military killed at least 94 Palestinians across Gaza who were seeking food aid, according to local health authorities and hospital morgue officials.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said on Sunday that the desperate crowds who rushed their trucks were fired on by the Israeli military. While humanitarian organizations said Israel’s pause was encouraging, they say the only way to really get in the aid that’s needed is if there is a ceasefire.
The U.S. pulled out of ceasefire talks
The U.S. pulled out of the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, last week, the most recent attempt to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a statement that Hamas “does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith” and that the U.S. would “consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.” He did not elaborate on what those options might be.
Israel said its decision to pause fighting to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid was made in coordination with the U.N. and other international organizations.
Airdrops containing flour, sugar and canned food would resume, Israel said, and it announced it had boosted water output in Gaza by reconnecting a power line to a desalination plant. Israel also said it was designating secure routes for U.N. aid trucks to distribute food and medicine across Gaza.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said Sunday that it had carried out three airdrops with 25 tons of food aid and humanitarian supplies in Gaza, one of which was done in coordination with the United Arab Emirates. Jordan was also sending 60 trucks carrying food supplies into the area, according to the BBC.
toggle caption Mohammed Arafat/AP
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it dispatched a caravan of more than 100 aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday, carrying over 1,200 tons of food, about 840 tons of flour and more.
Also over the weekend, Israel intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza operated by the activist group The Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Israel said its navy had blocked the ship from “illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza.” Activists say the vessel, known as Handala, carried humanitarian supplies including food, medicine, baby formula and diapers.
Eleanor Beardsley contributed reporting from Gaza.
Israel pauses attacks in some of Gaza to allow limited aid, as global criticism grows
Israel’s military will pause fighting for 10 hours each day in Gaza’s largest population centers. The World Health Organization says Gaza is facing mass starvation. Israel denies there is starvation and blames Hamas and the United Nations. The U.S. pulled out of the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, last week, the most recent attempt to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it dispatched more than 100 aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday, carrying more than 1,000 tons of food and medicine. The Jordanian Armed Forces said Sunday that it had carried out three airdrops with 25 tons of aid supplies in Gaza, one in coordination with the Arab Emirates, according to the BBC. The Israeli military said it had blocked the Freedom Flotilla from its navy from carrying about 840 tons of flour and more over the weekend, an activist group said. The group also said Israel had intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza operated by the activist group.
Israel’s military will pause fighting for 10 hours each day in Gaza’s largest population centers in order to allow more food aid into the besieged areas, the country announced over the weekend. On the first day of the pause, limited aid supplies were delivered into Gaza.
The daily respite in military operations began Sunday at 10 a.m. and will continue daily through 8 p.m. in Gaza City, Deir al Balah and Al-Mawasi, a large tent camp along the coast. Those are the areas where Israel has ordered Palestinians to shelter from the ongoing violence.
The major change in Israel’s offensive in Gaza follows growing international criticism over Israel’s restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid. The World Health Organization says Gaza is facing mass starvation, and the head of the U.N. World Food Programme said last week that the hunger crisis there has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation.”
Abdel Kareem Hana / AP / AP Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 133 Palestinians have died from hunger and malnutrition since the beginning of the war in October 2023, including 87 children.
Israel denies there is starvation and blames Hamas and the United Nations
The Israeli military has denied that there is starvation in Gaza and says that is a “false campaign promoted by Hamas.”
Israeli military officers on Sunday brought journalists into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where reporters were shown hundreds of plastic wrapped pallets filled with pasta, flour, oil, bottled water and baby formula.
Israeli government spokesman Elon Levy said this was the United Nations’ fault. “The aid is here in Israel,” he said. “Israel is urging the United Nations to do its job. Here are hundreds and hundreds of pallets of aid that the U.N. is letting rot in the sun. And instead of taking responsibility for that failure, they’re blaming Israel, and pretending that Israel isn’t letting this aid in altogether.”
In a statement Sunday, the U.N.’s World Food Programme said since May 21 it had brought in only a small percentage of the aid needed to sustain the population of Gaza because it was simply too risky. It said the aid was delivered under “extremely challenging circumstances that put civilians and aid workers at tremendous risk.”
Israeli officials have blamed Hamas for stoking chaos around aid distribution sites in Gaza. Last Sunday, the Israeli military killed at least 94 Palestinians across Gaza who were seeking food aid, according to local health authorities and hospital morgue officials.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said on Sunday that the desperate crowds who rushed their trucks were fired on by the Israeli military. While humanitarian organizations said Israel’s pause was encouraging, they say the only way to really get in the aid that’s needed is if there is a ceasefire.
The U.S. pulled out of ceasefire talks
The U.S. pulled out of the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, last week, the most recent attempt to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a statement that Hamas “does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith” and that the U.S. would “consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.” He did not elaborate on what those options might be.
Israel said its decision to pause fighting to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid was made in coordination with the U.N. and other international organizations.
Airdrops containing flour, sugar and canned food would resume, Israel said, and it announced it had boosted water output in Gaza by reconnecting a power line to a desalination plant. Israel also said it was designating secure routes for U.N. aid trucks to distribute food and medicine across Gaza.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said Sunday that it had carried out three airdrops with 25 tons of food aid and humanitarian supplies in Gaza, one of which was done in coordination with the United Arab Emirates. Jordan was also sending 60 trucks carrying food supplies into the area, according to the BBC.
Mohammed Arafat / AP / AP Trucks carrying humanitarian aids enter the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Sunday, July 27, 2025.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it dispatched a caravan of more than 100 aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday, carrying over 1,200 tons of food, about 840 tons of flour and more.
Also over the weekend, Israel intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza operated by the activist group The Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Israel said its navy had blocked the ship from “illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza.” Activists say the vessel, known as Handala, carried humanitarian supplies including food, medicine, baby formula and diapers.
Eleanor Beardsley contributed reporting from Gaza.
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Israel begins daily pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas to allow ‘minimal’ aid as hunger grows
NEW: Israeli military begins limited pauses in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day. Israel has restricted aid to Gaza’s population of over 2 million because it says Hamas siphons it off. The U.N. World Food Program says it has enough food in, or on its way, to feed all of Gaza. Israel and the U.S. recalled negotiating teams from Qatar on Thursday, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering “alternative options” to talks.“This (humanitarian) truce will mean nothing if it doesn’t turn into a real opportunity to save lives,” says Gaza Health Ministry director-general.‘Every delay is measured by another funeral,’ says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies,�” he says, “whichever path we choose.” “I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty”
The military said the “tactical pause” from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, all with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed Israel’s decision to support a “one-week scale-up of aid” and said “some movement restrictions appear to have been eased.” But he said action needs to be sustained, vast and fast.
“Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Images of emaciated children have fanned criticism of Israel, including by allies who call for the war’s end. Israel has restricted aid to Gaza’s population of over 2 million because it says Hamas siphons it off to bolster its rule, without providing evidence. Much of the population, squeezed into ever-smaller patches of land, now relies on aid.
As the military had warned, combat operations continued otherwise. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 41 Palestinians from late Saturday into Sunday, including 26 seeking aid.
Aid for some, none for others
“I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty,” said Sabreen Hassona, as other Palestinians trudged along a dusty road carrying sacks of food from the Zikim crossing.
But aid came slowly for others, if at all. “We saw the planes, but we didn’t see what they dropped,” Samira Yahya said in Zawaida in central Gaza. “They said trucks would pass, but we didn’t see the trucks.”
Some people feared going out and having a box of aid fall on their children, Ahmed al-Sumairi said.
‘Every delay is measured by another funeral’
Israel’s military said 28 aid packages containing food were airdropped, and said it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery. It said the steps were made in coordination with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups.
The U.N. World Food Program said it had enough food in, or on its way, to feed all of Gaza for nearly three months. It has said nearly half a million people were enduring famine-like conditions.
Antoine Renard, WFP’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territories, said around 80 WFP trucks entered Gaza, while another over 130 trucks arrived via Jordan, Ashdod and Egypt. He said other aid was moving through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
He stressed it was not enough to counter the “current starvation.”
Gaza saw 63 malnutrition-related deaths in July, including 24 children underage 5, the World Health Organization said.
Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, Gaza Health Ministry’s director-general, called for a flood of medical supplies to treat child malnutrition.
“This (humanitarian) truce will mean nothing if it doesn’t turn into a real opportunity to save lives,” he said. “Every delay is measured by another funeral.”
Questions over ceasefire talks
Ceasefire efforts appeared to be in doubt. Israel and the U.S. recalled negotiating teams from Qatar on Thursday, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering “alternative options” to talks.
Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group has refused. Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said the group had displayed “maximum flexibility.”
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said Israel’s change of approach on the humanitarian crisis amounted to an acknowledgment of Palestinians starving in Gaza, and asserted that it was meant to improve Israel’s international standing and not save lives.
Troubles with aid delivery
After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies to Gaza for 2 1/2 months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Fifty of them remain in Gaza, over half of them believed to be dead.
Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, the average of 69 trucks a day has been far below the 500 to 600 trucks the U.N. says are needed. The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from trucks.
In an attempt to divert aid delivery from U.N. control, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four distribution centers. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those sites, the U.N. human rights office says.
Israel asserts the U.N. system allows Hamas to steal aid. The U.N. denies it.
“Gaza is not a remote island. The infrastructure and resources exist to prevent starvation; we just need safe, sustained access,” Mercy Corps’ vice president of global policy and advocacy, Kate Phillips-Barrasso, said in a statement.
Killed while seeking aid
Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 13 people, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they headed toward a GHF aid distribution site in central Gaza.
Israel’s military said it fired warning shots to prevent a “gathering of suspects” from approaching, hundreds of meters from the site before opening hours. GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites.
Thirteen others were killed seeking aid elsewhere, including northwestern Gaza City, where over 50 people were wounded, and near the Zikim crossing where over 90 were wounded, hospital officials and medics said.
Israel’s military said two soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 898 since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that attack, and took 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says over half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called the images of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza “terrible.”
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Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Cincinnati, Ohio, contributed.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Wafaa Shurafa, Tia Goldenberg And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press