Tel Aviv, 27 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Israel will pause military activity in parts of the Gaza Strip for 10 hours each day to enable humanitarian aid to reach civilians, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday.

"A local tactical pause in military activity will take place for humanitarian purposes from 10:00 to 20:00 [0700-1700 GMT], starting today (Sunday)," the IDF said in a statement.

"The pause will begin in the areas where the IDF is not operating: Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, every day until further notice," it said.

The military said the move had been agreed following talks with the United Nations and international organizations.

Israel designated al-Mawasi in the south-west of the Gaza Strip as a "humanitarian zone" earlier in the war. However, the military has since attacked there multiple times, resulting in many deaths. Deir al-Balah in the centre of the strip is home to the World Health Organization's (WHO) central warehouse, which the WHO said was damaged when Israeli ground troops first entered the area.

In addition, humanitarian corridors will be in place from 6 am to 11 pm to allow the UN and aid organizations to deliver food and medicine to the population in Gaza, the military added.

Israel has faced growing international criticism over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. Since the collapse of a ceasefire with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Israel has allowed only small amounts of aid to enter the sealed-off territory.

Overnight, seven pallets of aid - including flour, sugar and canned food - provided by international organizations were dropped into the embattled territory, the military said.

Photo: EPA