Israel announces pauses in Gaza to allow aid for hungry
Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm local time (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi - a designated humanitarian area that stretches along the coast - in central Deir al-Balah and Gaza City to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm from Sunday.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas.
"Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X.
Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 people waiting for aid trucks on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of Gazans gathered in locations where they expect aid trucks to roll through on Sunday, Reuters witnesses and locals said.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The Gaza health ministry reported six new deaths in the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133, including 87 children.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying 1200 metric tons of food aid to southern Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Hours earlier, Israel began aid airdrops in what it said was an effort to ease the humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
The UN said last week humanitarian pauses in military activity would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance", adding that Israel had not been providing enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access.
Israel, which cut off the aid flow to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear the militants did not want a deal.
Many Gazans expressed tentative relief about Sunday's announcement, but said the fighting must end permanently.
Others voiced concern about how aid would be delivered and whether it would reach people safely.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the aid decision, which he said was made without his involvement on Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence officials.
"This is a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign," he said in a statement, repeating his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage its Palestinian population to leave.
He stopped short of threatening to quit the government.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments.
After letting in aid in May, Israel said there was enough food in Gaza but that the UN was failing to distribute it. The UN said it was operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Since then, Israel's offensive against Hamas has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced almost the entire population.
Israel says it will halt military operations each day for 10 hours in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors in the shattered enclave, where images of hungry Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm local time (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi - a designated humanitarian area that stretches along the coast - in central Deir al-Balah and Gaza City to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm from Sunday.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas.
"Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X.
Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 people waiting for aid trucks on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of Gazans gathered in locations where they expect aid trucks to roll through on Sunday, Reuters witnesses and locals said.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The Gaza health ministry reported six new deaths in the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133, including 87 children.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying 1200 metric tons of food aid to southern Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Hours earlier, Israel began aid airdrops in what it said was an effort to ease the humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
The UN said last week humanitarian pauses in military activity would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance", adding that Israel had not been providing enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access.
Israel, which cut off the aid flow to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear the militants did not want a deal.
Many Gazans expressed tentative relief about Sunday's announcement, but said the fighting must end permanently.
Others voiced concern about how aid would be delivered and whether it would reach people safely.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the aid decision, which he said was made without his involvement on Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence officials.
"This is a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign," he said in a statement, repeating his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage its Palestinian population to leave.
He stopped short of threatening to quit the government.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments.
After letting in aid in May, Israel said there was enough food in Gaza but that the UN was failing to distribute it. The UN said it was operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Since then, Israel's offensive against Hamas has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced almost the entire population.
Israel says it will halt military operations each day for 10 hours in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors in the shattered enclave, where images of hungry Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm local time (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi - a designated humanitarian area that stretches along the coast - in central Deir al-Balah and Gaza City to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm from Sunday.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas.
"Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X.
Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 people waiting for aid trucks on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of Gazans gathered in locations where they expect aid trucks to roll through on Sunday, Reuters witnesses and locals said.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The Gaza health ministry reported six new deaths in the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133, including 87 children.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying 1200 metric tons of food aid to southern Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Hours earlier, Israel began aid airdrops in what it said was an effort to ease the humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
The UN said last week humanitarian pauses in military activity would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance", adding that Israel had not been providing enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access.
Israel, which cut off the aid flow to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear the militants did not want a deal.
Many Gazans expressed tentative relief about Sunday's announcement, but said the fighting must end permanently.
Others voiced concern about how aid would be delivered and whether it would reach people safely.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the aid decision, which he said was made without his involvement on Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence officials.
"This is a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign," he said in a statement, repeating his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage its Palestinian population to leave.
He stopped short of threatening to quit the government.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments.
After letting in aid in May, Israel said there was enough food in Gaza but that the UN was failing to distribute it. The UN said it was operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Since then, Israel's offensive against Hamas has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced almost the entire population.
Israel says it will halt military operations each day for 10 hours in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors in the shattered enclave, where images of hungry Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm local time (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi - a designated humanitarian area that stretches along the coast - in central Deir al-Balah and Gaza City to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm from Sunday.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas.
"Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X.
Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 people waiting for aid trucks on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of Gazans gathered in locations where they expect aid trucks to roll through on Sunday, Reuters witnesses and locals said.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The Gaza health ministry reported six new deaths in the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133, including 87 children.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying 1200 metric tons of food aid to southern Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Hours earlier, Israel began aid airdrops in what it said was an effort to ease the humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
The UN said last week humanitarian pauses in military activity would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance", adding that Israel had not been providing enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access.
Israel, which cut off the aid flow to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear the militants did not want a deal.
Many Gazans expressed tentative relief about Sunday's announcement, but said the fighting must end permanently.
Others voiced concern about how aid would be delivered and whether it would reach people safely.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised the aid decision, which he said was made without his involvement on Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence officials.
"This is a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign," he said in a statement, repeating his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage its Palestinian population to leave.
He stopped short of threatening to quit the government.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments.
After letting in aid in May, Israel said there was enough food in Gaza but that the UN was failing to distribute it. The UN said it was operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Since then, Israel's offensive against Hamas has killed almost 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced almost the entire population.
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Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Gaza facing starvation, UN warns, as Israel begins daily halt to operations
The decision was made after Israeli experts monitoring the humanitarian crisis identified 'problematic' levels of hunger, a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces said in a televised briefing. Warning of 'famine-like conditions' in parts of Gaza, World Food Program country director Antoine Renard said about 80 of its trucks had entered Gaza on Sunday, and another 130 trucks arrived via Jordan, Ashdod and Egypt. Other aid was moving through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. But he stressed even this was not enough to counter the 'current starvation' in Gaza. The World Health Organisation on Monday (AEST) warned of 'alarming levels' of malnutrition, with a spike in hunger-related deaths this month. Loading Some 63 out of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this year occurred in July – including 24 children younger than five, a child older than five, and 38 adults, a WHO update said. 'Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting,' the WHO said. Netanyahu accuses the UN The Israeli military said a 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi from 10am to 8pm daily (Gaza time), all with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, 'Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies.' Netanyahu also accused the UN in a statement of 'making excuses and lying' about the lack of safe corridors to deliver aid. 'There are secured routes. There always were, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses.' UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the apparent scaling-up of aid deliveries, but warned that action needed to be 'sustained, vast, and fast'. Images of emaciated children have fanned criticism of Israel, including by allies who call for an end to the war. 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. Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, according to the latest WHO figures, while the percentage of children aged 6–59 months suffering from acute malnutrition has tripled since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis and the Middle Area, rates have doubled in less than a month. These figures are likely an underestimate due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities, the WHO said. 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. Killed seeking aid Elsewhere in Gaza, Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 13 people on Sunday, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they headed towards an aid distribution site in central Gaza run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to prevent a 'gathering of suspects' from approaching the site before opening hours. The GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites. Thirteen others were killed seeking aid elsewhere, including north-western 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 October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war. Hamas killed 1200 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, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians. Loading The ministry says over half of the dead are women and children, and while it operates under the Hamas government, the UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of casualty data. US President Donald Trump on Sunday called the images of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza 'terrible.' Israel and the US recalled negotiating teams from Qatar last week, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to talks. Israel has said 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'.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Gaza facing starvation, UN warns, as Israel begins daily halt to operations
The decision was made after Israeli experts monitoring the humanitarian crisis identified 'problematic' levels of hunger, a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces said in a televised briefing. Warning of 'famine-like conditions' in parts of Gaza, World Food Program country director Antoine Renard said about 80 of its trucks had entered Gaza on Sunday, and another 130 trucks arrived via Jordan, Ashdod and Egypt. Other aid was moving through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. But he stressed even this was not enough to counter the 'current starvation' in Gaza. The World Health Organisation on Monday (AEST) warned of 'alarming levels' of malnutrition, with a spike in hunger-related deaths this month. Loading Some 63 out of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this year occurred in July – including 24 children younger than five, a child older than five, and 38 adults, a WHO update said. 'Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting,' the WHO said. Netanyahu accuses the UN The Israeli military said a 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi from 10am to 8pm daily (Gaza time), all with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, 'Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies.' Netanyahu also accused the UN in a statement of 'making excuses and lying' about the lack of safe corridors to deliver aid. 'There are secured routes. There always were, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses.' UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the apparent scaling-up of aid deliveries, but warned that action needed to be 'sustained, vast, and fast'. Images of emaciated children have fanned criticism of Israel, including by allies who call for an end to the war. 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. Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, according to the latest WHO figures, while the percentage of children aged 6–59 months suffering from acute malnutrition has tripled since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis and the Middle Area, rates have doubled in less than a month. These figures are likely an underestimate due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities, the WHO said. 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. Killed seeking aid Elsewhere in Gaza, Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 13 people on Sunday, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they headed towards an aid distribution site in central Gaza run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to prevent a 'gathering of suspects' from approaching the site before opening hours. The GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites. Thirteen others were killed seeking aid elsewhere, including north-western 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 October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war. Hamas killed 1200 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, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians. Loading The ministry says over half of the dead are women and children, and while it operates under the Hamas government, the UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of casualty data. US President Donald Trump on Sunday called the images of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza 'terrible.' Israel and the US recalled negotiating teams from Qatar last week, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to talks. Israel has said 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'.
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Israel announces daily pauses in military bombardment of Gaza as aid airdrops begin
Israel announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. US President Donald Trump, on a visit to Scotland, said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza, and he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas. Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the fighting. "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday local time, a Jordanian official said, adding that those were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. Work on a UAE project to run a new pipeline that will supply water from a desalination facility in neighbouring Egypt to around 600,000 Palestinians along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said. Dozens of Palestinians have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger since 2023 to 133, including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, as the baby's father held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. Some had been looted in the area of Khan Younis after entering Gaza, residents said. Naima Abu Ful holds her malnourished 2-year-old child, Yazan, at their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Source: AP / Jehad Alshrafi Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased. A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week said Israel's denial of aid was unacceptable. The military's spokesperson said Israel was committed to international law and monitors the humanitarian situation daily. Brigadier General Effie Defrin claimed there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical. Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds and reopened it with new restrictions in May. Many Palestinians expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people waiting for aid trucks. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at suspects endangering troops and was unaware of any casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whether it is fighting or negotiating a ceasefire and vowed to press on with the campaign until "complete victory". Hamas said Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka.
