The Israeli army announced this morning that it will implement tactical pauses in Gaza to allow United Nations humanitarian aid to pass through."It seems Israel realizes it has to do something," says VRT NWS journalist Jens Franssen. The need for food and medicine is extremely high. At least 127 people, mostly children, have already died from malnutrition.

An hour ago, the tactical pause announced by the Israeli army was supposed to have begun. It remains to be seen how peaceful everything will be, but so far there have been no major incidents. The first trucks with emergency aid are entering Gaza.

On the messaging app Telegram, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) speaks of a"tactical pause in military activity, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., for humanitarian purposes." This does not apply to the entire Gaza Strip, but to three areas where the IDF says it is not active: Deir al-Balah, Muwasi, and Gaza City.

The IDF shares a map showing areas in white—designated"safe"—and areas in red, with a clear message:"Dangerous combat zone. Returning there is extremely dangerous."

A map of the zones shared by the IDF

Hundreds of trucks at the border

The IDF statement is being issued in coordination with the United Nations. In addition to the ceasefire, humanitarian corridors will also be established. These will be available to the UN"from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid."

The army adds that it will "continue to support humanitarian efforts in addition to the ongoing maneuvers and offensive operations against terrorist organizations to protect the Israeli people."

90,000 malnourished children and women urgently need medical help

World Food Programme

Of course, we won't be able to compile a report on the true consequences of this announcement until the end of the day, but several news outlets—including the BBC—expect that just over 200 trucks with emergency aid will be able to enter Gaza today. Most will come from Egypt.

That's not enough. According to the UN, before the war in Gaza, at least 500 trucks per day were needed to meet all the needs of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Those needs are, of course, much higher today.

Humanitarian aid by air

In recent days, there has also been discussion about airdropping emergency aid. Israel dropped seven aid packages last night, but even that's a drop in the ocean. Moreover, such operations have already led to chaos and civilian casualties.

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are also expected to conduct airdrops. Despite the risks, the UAE said this afternoon that it will conduct at least two airdrops today.

LOOK AT

The Israeli army shares images of the airdrop

127 deaths from malnutrition

The need for humanitarian aid is therefore particularly high. According to the World Food Programme (a UN agency),"malnutrition is increasing and 90,000 children and women are in urgent need of medical assistance."

The number of deaths from malnutrition is also rising daily: so far it amounts to 127 Palestinians, mainly children.

Succumbed to international pressure

Israel has always maintained that the dire humanitarian situation is not their fault, but rather Hamas's. According to Israeli correspondent Ralph Dekkers, their recent public outreach with this plan is primarily due to international pressure.

"They still maintain that there is no hunger crisis and that Hamas is stealing goods. But after a letter from 28 countries and the appeal from hundreds of organizations demanding an end to the war, and probably pressure from the United States, they made this decision," says Dekkers."It seems that Israel realizes it has to do something," says VRT NWS journalist Jens Franssen.

Dozens of people carry bags of flour in Muwasi, where a fighting has been halted since today.

It is unclear who will take responsibility for the distribution.

The United Nations is thus regaining a foothold in Gaza. Previously, it was banned by Israel, and aid was coordinated and distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization founded by the United States and Israel.

The GHF is particularly controversial because aid was distributed at only four distribution points, often leading to chaos. As a result, tear gas is frequently used and shots are fired at civilians, killing dozens.

It's not yet entirely clear who will be responsible for the distribution. GHF may still play a role, but other aid organizations now appear to be given the opportunity to take on the distribution of the goods.

Jabalia and Rafah are in the red zone

What's particularly striking, and what's raising many questions, is what about the people in Jabalia and Rafah? On the IDF map, these are designated red—"life-threatening"—zones, where no tactical pauses in combat are in effect.

It seems they want to focus on the areas where the need is greatest

VRT NWS journalist Jens Franssen

"The images we've seen in recent days of starving people don't necessarily come from there. So the situation seems a little less precarious there," says Franssen."It seems they want to focus on the areas where the need is greatest."

There, too, it remains to be seen whether people are willing—often for the umpteenth time—to relocate to a white,"safer" zone. In the past, the IDF has divided the Gaza Strip this way several times, leading to large population movements. But even in those"safer" zones, Palestinians were killed.

Breaks apply every day

The IDF says the pauses will be in effect daily"until further notice." This applies to both the ceasefire and the humanitarian corridors. Incidentally, this isn't the first time such ceasefires have been implemented, although they have never lasted this long.

In November 2024, there were several pauses in combat, each in a different area, for a massive polio vaccination campaign. A few months earlier, in June, there were also tactical pauses in combat for the distribution of humanitarian aid.