Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
What happened
Israel announced Sunday it will pause military activity in Gaza City, Al-Mawasi and Deir al-Balah from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. "every day until further notice." The Israel Defense Forces also said "secure routes" for food and medical aid delivery would be established from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Who said what
"Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished," the WHO said, blaming "deliberate" efforts to block and delay aid. The "tactical pause" would refute this "false claim," the IDF said. Hamas said Israel was "whitewashing its image before the world."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
"The volume of aid needed is huge," said CNN, and "thousands of trucks" are waiting at Gaza's border crossing points. With long wait times expected, United Nations aid groups will need Israel to give trucks "really fast clearances and approvals" in order to "take advantage of these pauses," Ross Smith, the director of emergencies at the World Food Program, told Reuters. Both Israel and Hamas vowed to continue their respective military campaigns.
-
Political cartoons for February 18Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include the DOW, human replacement, and more
-
The best music tours to book in 2026The Week Recommends Must-see live shows to catch this year from Lily Allen to Florence + The Machine
-
Gisèle Pelicot’s ‘extraordinarily courageous’ memoir is a ‘compelling’ readIn the Spotlight A Hymn to Life is a ‘riveting’ account of Pelicot’s ordeal and a ‘rousing feminist manifesto’
-
Rubio boosts Orbán ahead of Hungary electionSpeed Read Far-right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing a tough re-election fight after many years in power
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
What will happen in 2026? Predictions and eventsIn Depth The new year could bring peace in Ukraine or war in Venezuela, as Donald Trump prepares to host a highly politicised World Cup and Nasa returns to the Moon
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
