Israel’s new 10-hour military pause in parts of Gaza starts but UN says it is not enough to stave off famine – Middle East crisis live

UN says ‘vast amounts of aid’ needed to prevent catastrophic health crisis after Israel allowed limited airdrops into Gaza

We are continuing our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza. Stick with us throughout the day as we provide the latest updates.

Responding to a global outcry provoked by reports and images of widespread starvation and malnutrition in Gaza, the Israeli military said yesterday that it had began a “tactical pause” in the densely populated areas of Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid” into the strip.

We welcome Israel’s decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.

Some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected. Continue reading...