Israel due to begin another 10-hour military 'pause' in Gaza as UN pushes for two-state talks
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1 hr ago
THE ISRAELI MILITARY will begin a second day of its daily 'tactical pause' in three areas of Gaza, in what it claims is an effort to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched a 'tactical suspension of military operations for humanitarian purposes' in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City.
The pause is scheduled to run from 10am (8am Irish time) to 8pm local time daily, until further notice.
Despite the move, safety on the ground is far from guaranteed for Palestinians.
An airstrike was reported in Gaza City yesterday in an area where Israel had announced a pause just an hour earlier.
The IDF said it was unaware of the strike.
The UN's aid chief, Tom Fletcher, noted some easing of movement restrictions since Israel agreed to expand humanitarian access for a week.
However, he urged that the effort now needed to be 'sustained, vast and fast', pressing Israel to accelerate the approval of lorries at border crossings.
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates carried out their first airdrops into Gaza in months yesterday, though officials stressed that air delivery is no substitute for consistent land access.
Humanitarian aid was airdropped to Palestinians over northern Gaza.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again criticised the UN, accusing it of having 'no excuses left' for not delivering aid.
He also rejected allegations that Israel is deliberately starving civilians, a potential war crime, calling such claims an 'egregious falsehood'.
The UN said it would attempt to reach as many people as possible now that secure land routes have been announced.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reported it has enough supplies in, or en route to, the region to feed Gaza's 2.1 million residents for almost three months.
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The WFP says 62,000 tonnes of food per month are needed to meet the population's basic needs.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aids line up to enter the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Israel said that 120 trucks of aid have been distributed in Gaza so far.
UN Conference on Two-State Solution
France and Saudi Arabia are leading a UN-backed initiative in New York this week aimed at reviving the push for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement last week that France will recognise the State of Palestine in September has added momentum to the three-day conference.
Several other European nations are expected to follow suit.
France's decision to recognise Palestine 'will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance,' said Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.
'Macron's announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognize Palestine,' Gowan said.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and officials from over 100 countries are expected to attend the New York conference.
The conference will also focus on reforming the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas, and encouraging further Arab-Israeli normalisation.
While no new peace deals are expected, French officials say Arab states will, for the first time, issue a joint condemnation of Hamas and call for its disarmament.
Neither Israel nor the United States are participating in the talks.
Despite 'tactical pauses' announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is expected to dominate speeches by representatives.
Gowan said he expected 'very fierce criticism of Israel.'
Additional reporting from AFP
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