Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows

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.

The announcement came as the World Health Organization warned malnutrition had reached "alarming levels" in the region.

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."

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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.