Gaza fighting pauses despite southern blasts

On Monday, Israel carried out strikes in Gaza, with witnesses reporting explosions in the southern part of the besieged territory. However, fighting largely subsided as the Israeli army announced a “pause” to facilitate aid delivery.

The relative calm coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolving his war cabinet, highlighting internal political divisions. According to David Mencer, the prime minister’s spokesman, the dissolution followed the resignation of centrist leader Benny Gantz, who had required the formation of a war cabinet to join a unity government. The pre-existing security cabinet will now take over the war cabinet’s responsibilities, finalizing decisions that were previously proposed by the war cabinet. This move is seen as a response to pressure from far-right politicians seeking more influence in decision-making.

The daytime “pause” for aid deliveries around a southern Gaza route, which began on Saturday, appeared to be holding on Monday. The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza reported 10 deaths over the previous 24 hours, one of the lowest daily tolls since the conflict began.

Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 triggered the current war, resulting in the deaths of 1,194 people, according to Israeli figures. Hamas militants also took 251 hostages, of which 116 remain in Gaza, with the Israeli army stating that 41 are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas has led to at least 37,347 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. Much of Gaza’s residential and other infrastructure has been destroyed.

Witnesses reported hearing explosions in Rafah, with tank shelling occurring early Monday before the daily “local, tactical pause of military activity” took effect. In Gaza City, medics reported at least five deaths from airstrikes, and there were additional strikes in Bureij refugee camp.

The Israeli military announced that the pause for humanitarian purposes would occur daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm along a specific route. Despite the pause, Israeli troops continued operations in Rafah and central Gaza, with reports of close-quarters combat killing several militants. The military has found hundreds of tunnel shafts and killed many militants since the ground offensive began in early May.

The U.N. has expressed concern about aid access to Gaza, which has been hindered by insecurity, closed crossing points, and Israeli procedural delays. The Rafah crossing with Egypt has been shut since early May when Israeli forces took control of its Palestinian side.

The tactical pause is intended to allow the U.N. to collect and distribute more aid, according to Shimon Freedman, a spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing Palestinian civilian affairs.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a message for Eid al-Adha, called for the implementation of a ceasefire plan he proposed last month, which includes a six-week pause in fighting and the release of hostages by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire, a stance strongly opposed by Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.

Amid regular street protests demanding a deal to free hostages, a senior Israeli negotiator stated that Israel could not commit to ending the war until all captives were released. The negotiator confirmed that the Israeli team had approved Biden’s plan and was waiting for Hamas to agree.