Israel declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis.
The military also said it had begun air-dropping food into the territory and angrily rejected allegations it was using starvation as a weapon against Palestinian civilians.
In a statement, the army said it coordinated its decisions with the UN and international organisations to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip”.
There was no immediate official response from the UN or non-governmental aid agencies operating in Gaza, and privately sceptical humanitarian sources said they were waiting to see the results on the ground of the Israeli announcement.
The pause in fighting would be limited to areas where the military says Israeli troops are not currently operating — Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City — and last from 10:00 am (0700 GMT) until 8:00 pm every day.
But the Israeli statement added that “designated secure routes” had been opened across all of Gaza to enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine.
The Israeli military said these operations, alongside its ongoing campaign against Palestinian armed groups, should disprove “the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip”.
Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid warnings of a wave of starvation.
– Activist boat seized –
Before Israel announced the airborne delivery of seven pallets of food, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them.
On Saturday alone, the Palestinian civil defence agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres.
“We ask God and our Arab brothers to work harder to reach a ceasefire before we all die,” Gaza resident Hossam Sobh told AFP, adding that he had feared death as he recovered a bag of flour under the nose of an Israeli tank.
Also on Saturday, Israeli troops boarded a boat carrying activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as it attempted to approach Gaza from the sea to challenge a naval blockade.
The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with more than 100 NGOs warning this week that “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza.
On Telegram, the Israeli military announced it “carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip”.
Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical that air drops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza’s more than two million inhabitants.
But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart air drops. The United Arab Emirates said it would resume air drops “immediately”.
– ‘Starving civilians’ –
A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective.
“Air drops will not reverse the deepening starvation,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. “They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians.”
Israel’s military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into Gaza, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting aid once it is inside the territory.
But humanitarian organisations accuse the army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza.
A separate aid operation is under way through the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
But it has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points.
– Naval blockade –
On Saturday evening, the live feed on the Handala boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel.
The soldiers moved in as the boat approached Gaza and three video live feeds of the scene broadcasting online were cut minutes later.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the joint US-Israeli campaign was “crushing” Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and called for Iranians to rise up and overthrow the Islamic republic.
Netanyahu spoke soon after the new Iranian ruler Mojtaba Khamenei’s first statement, in which he vowed to avenge the Iranians killed in the war so far.
“We are crushing Iran and Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in a televised media briefing.
In wide-ranging comments on the war, Netanyahu said he was seeking to use the conflict to oust the clerical leadership in Tehran.
“I have added a third objective, which is to create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down this regime,” Netanyahu said.
The other two goals remained preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and destroying its ballistic missile capabilities, he said.
The Israeli leader used his remarks to demand that Beirut rein in Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has joined Iran in launching missile strikes on Israel.
“I told the Lebanese government a few days ago — you are playing with fire if you continue allowing Hezbollah to operate, in violation of your commitment to disarm it,” he said.
“The time has come for you to do so. Now, if you do not do so, it is clear that we will do so,” he continued.
Hezbollah on Thursday said it carried out a number of attacks against Israel, including on an air defence system near the town of Caesarea, home to Netanyahu’s private residence.
Israel has threatened to target Lebanese government infrastructure if the attacks by Hezbollah persist.
Netanyahu had a personal message for Iran’s new leader, saying: “We eliminated the old tyrant, and the new tyrant, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, can’t show his face in public.”
Khamenei had earlier issued a first statement in his name that was read out by a TV presenter.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) have stated that Nigerians who wish to leave Iran are being safely escorted across the Armenia border by officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the commission said the move was aimed at ensuring a “smooth and secure passage for those wishing to exit the country.”
“No Nigerian in Iran has been affected by the conflict so far, with government officials remaining stationed at the border to receive and assist all evacuees,” the statement said.
NIDCOM added that the federal government remains vigilant and is responding to the safety and welfare of Nigerians abroad.
The Commission noted that the evacuation process is being coordinated in collaboration with Armenian authorities, with Nigerian officials stationed at the border to assist citizens arriving from Iran.
Meanwhile, at least one Nigerian has been identified among the 122 people injured during the interception of Iranian ballistic missiles in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE Ministry of Defence did not specify the number of casualties from each nationality.
It remained unclear how many Nigerians are currently in Iran or other Middle Eastern countries affected by the ongoing conflict. However, some Nigerians in Gulf states have called on the Federal Government to prepare repatriation flights for their evacuation.
Earlier, the chairperson of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said Nigeria would begin repatriating its citizens stranded in the Middle East once the airspace reopens.
The Commission has also released emergency hotlines for Nigerians in the affected areas to seek assistance.
President Donald Trump said Thursday it would be a “waste of time” currently to consider sending US ground troops into Iran, NBC News reported, dismissing the Iranian foreign minister’s warning that such a move would spell disaster for invaders.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” he told NBC by telephone, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s earlier remark that Iran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a “wasted comment.”
Trump also indicated he is keen to see Iran’s leadership structure removed and that “we want to go in and clean out everything” quickly.
