Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
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 said he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas.
Military activity will stop daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0700-1700 GMT) 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 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. starting from Sunday.
The United Nations food aid agency needs quick approvals by Israel for its trucks to move into Gaza if it is to take advantage of Israel's planned humanitarian pauses in fighting, a senior World Food Programme official said on Sunday.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said on Sunday that some movement restrictions appeared to have been eased by Israel in Gaza on Sunday after Israel decided to 'support a one-week scale-up of aid.'
Initial reports indicate that more than 100 truckloads of aid were collected from crossings to be transported into Gaza, Fletcher said in a statement.
'This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis,' he said.
In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, a Jordanian official said, but added that it was 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 Gazans along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger since the war began in 2023 to 133, including 87 children.
On Saturday, a 5-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.
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 said there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical.
"When we start approaching a problematic line (threshold) then the IDF works to let in humanitarian aid," he said. "That's what happened over the weekend."
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 aid with new restrictions in May.
Israel says it has been allowing in aid but must prevent it from being diverted by militants and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
Hope, Uncertainty
Many Gazans 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.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- Indian Express
As Russian oil discount narrows, economists think India can afford import diversification
With US President Donald Trump doubling the tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent, economists think India can afford to reduce its purchase of Russian oil due to the narrowing of the discount on offer and diversify its sourcing. From around 2 per cent prior to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the share of Russian oil in India's oil imports has increased sharply to 35-40 per cent, with Indian refiners lapping up discounted Russian oil that was shunned by developed nations. However, the tariff war instigated by Donald Trump – initially with a focus on addressing the US' trade deficit with other nations – has seen the imposition of so-called secondary tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian energy and defence equipment. On July 30, Trump threatened a 25 per cent on India and an additional unspecified 'penalty' for its Russian trade. On Wednesday, the penalty was revealed to be a further 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods that will come into effect on August 27. According to Barclays economists led by Aastha Gudwani, the purchase of discounted Russian oil helped lower India's oil import bill by around $7 billion-10 billion in 2024 to $186 billion. 'As of now, the discount on oil imports from Russia having narrowed to around $3-8/barrel lower than Middle eastern grade. Media reports suggest that Indian refiners would be pushed to pivot towards traditional West Asian suppliers and new players such as Brazil to make up for lost Russian supplies, with price increases around $4-5/barrel. With global oil prices in 2025 so far settling around $9/barrel lower than 2024, such a diversification of oil supply sources is unlikely to hurt India's oil import bill,' they added. Meanwhile, Nomura economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi estimate the implied discount on Russian crude oil for Indian refiners declined to around $2.2 per barrel in 2024-25 from over $12 per barrel in 2022-23. As such, if India chooses to reduce its purchase of Russian oil, India's annual import bill may only rise by around $1.5 billion, they calculated. Morgan Stanley economists were in agreement, estimating that the discount India got on Russian crude oil in 2024-25 was only $2-3 per barrel. To be sure, Indian refining companies began cutting their purchase of Russian oil even prior to Trump's threat of a 'penalty'. In July, India's crude imports from Russia averaged 1.6 million barrels per day, as per data from Kpler, a global trade data and analytics firm, down 24 per cent from June. However, a move by India to procure more oil from countries other than Russia could push up prices globally, which would raise the import bill. While difficult to estimate, Nomura economists think that given India imported 1.8 billion barrels of oil in 2024-25, India's annual import bill could rise by around $1.8 billion for every $1 increase in global crude prices. 'Domestically, the government will likely keep pump prices constant, which means there is likely to be minimal inflation and growth impact from any shift in oil procurement. This also means that the ultimate cost of any transition will most likely have to be borne by public sector oil marketing companies, and eventually by the government if it needs to compensate them for these under-recoveries at a later stage,' Nomura said, adding that it did not see a 'major upside risk' to the Indian government's fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of GDP for the current fiscal. Meanwhile, reduced demand for Russian oil from Indian refiners, especially state-run ones, is already beginning to reflect in prices, with Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler, pointing out on Wednesday that private refiners were 'still scooping barrels, but at a lower pace. Four Aframaxes are currently waiting to discharge at Jamnagar and Vadinar'. An aframax is a type of oil tanker. According to Falakshahi, India's negotiations with the US could lead to New Delhi agreeing to raise its oil and gas purchases. The energy trade between the two countries is worth around $7.5 billion a year. 'This has already started to be the case, with the country's imports of US crude on the rise lately to an average of 225 kbd (thousand barrels per day) since May, nearly twice as much the levels from early 2025. Indian refiners could realistically increase their intake of US crude by another 100 kbd to previous highs of ~300 kbd in 2021,' Falakshahi said. However, he added he was sceptical that India will be able to completely stop the import of Russian oil. Siddharth Upasani is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. He reports primarily on data and the economy, looking for trends and changes in the former which paint a picture of the latter. Before The Indian Express, he worked at Moneycontrol and financial newswire Informist (previously called Cogencis). Outside of work, sports, fantasy football, and graphic novels keep him busy. ... Read More
NDTV
26 minutes ago
- NDTV
Kashmir Mediation To Russian Oil: Trump's 'Un'Truth Social
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has made several misleading or outright inaccurate statements about India -- from falsehoods regarding trade policy to the economy, Trump's remarks have frequently clashed with facts. Trump's announcement of 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian goods triggered immediate diplomatic pushback from New Delhi and raised questions about Western consistency on Russian energy sanctions. Fact-checking Trump 1. "India Stopped Buying Russian Oil" Trump's Claim: "Well, I understand India no longer is going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard. I don't know if that's right or not, but that's a good step." Fact Check: According to government sources, India continues to import Russian crude oil. 2. "India is the Tariff King" Trump's Claim: India is the "Tariff King" and an abuser of global trade rules. Fact Check: India's simple average tariff stands at 16 per cent, comparable to economies like Turkey (16.2 per cent) and Argentina (13.4 per cent). India's weighted average tariff is only 4.6 per cent. 3. "India is a Dead Economy" Trump's Claim: India is a "dead economy" and the US does "very little business" with India. Fact Check: Contrary to Trump's assertion, India remains the largest trading partner of the United States for the fourth consecutive year, with bilateral trade touching $131.84 billion in FY 2024-25. Indian exports to the US rose by 11.6 per cent, reaching $86.51 billion, and imports from the US stood at $45.33 billion. The two countries have set a target of $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 under the "Mission 500" roadmap. 4. Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan Trump's Claim: He personally brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and prevented a nuclear conflict. Fact Check: There is no official evidence to support Trump's claim. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have clarified that no ceasefire was brokered by the United States. "At no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on. Secondly, there was no talk between the Prime Minister and President Trump from the 22nd of April when President Trump called up to convey his sympathy, and the 17th of June, when he called up the Prime Minister in Canada to explain why he could not meet," Mr Jaishankar said in Parliament. 5. "1,000 Years War" Trump's Claim: "There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years... a thousand-year fight in Kashmir." Fact Check: The India-Pakistan Kashmir conflict began in 1947 following the partition and independence of India. There is no historical basis for Trump's 1,000-year claim. Prior to 1947, Kashmir was a princely state under British rule and was not subject to the Indo-Pakistani conflict. 6. Kashmir Mediation Offer Trump's Claim: PM Modi asked him to mediate on Kashmir in 2019. Fact Check: India categorically denied that any such request was made. The Ministry of External Affairs stated: "No such request has been made by PM Modi to the US President. It has been India's consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally." 7. "India Got A Sweeter Paris Deal" Trump's Claim: India got a "sweeter deal" under the Paris Climate Accord, which justified his withdrawal. Fact Check: India is the first G20 country to have met its Paris Climate Agreement targets. India's nationally determined contributions (NDCs) have been praised by international climate monitors. 8. "India is Taking American Jobs" Trump's Claim: "India is taking our jobs... It's not going to happen anymore, folks." Fact Check: Indian companies have created over 425,000 jobs in the United States, with $40 billion invested as per a 2023 Confederation of Indian Industry report. Additionally, Indian students contributed $7.7 billion annually to the US economy between 2019 and 2023. Indian-origin CEOs head major US. firms, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe-driving American innovation and competitiveness.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
Israeli equipment proven in Operation Sindoor, says Netanyahu
Israel will not annex the territory but will set up a security perimeter, said Netanyahu, adding, 'We will destroy Hamas. We will get our hostages back.' read more Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the equipment provided by Israel to India earlier had worked effectively during Operation Sindoor. In an interview with CNN-News18, Netanyahu said that the Israeli systems used in the operation as 'battle proven'. 'The equipment given before worked well during Operation Sindoor,' he said, reaffirming Israel's support to India. Commenting on the broader ties between India and the United States, Netanyahu said, 'The goal for America and India is for both sides to succeed. There is so much common ground between Delhi and Washington. A way can be found to resolve this. It's in the interests of both India and America and Israel for this to end quickly.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He expressed confidence that current issues could be resolved. 'There is a basic understanding in America that India is a natural partner. India is a solid partner for America. Obstacles can be dealt with. This is a temporary obstacle.' Israel will not annex the territory but will set up a security perimeter, said Netanyahu, adding, 'We will destroy Hamas. We will get our hostages back.' 'The war can be over tomorrow if Hamas lays down arms. Innocents must be separated from Hamas,' he said.
