Israel's plan for a 'strategic pause' in aid raises questions and deepens rifts. Here's what we know CNN

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There is the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). declared a “strategic pause”. Military activity along a road in southern Gaza designated for the delivery of humanitarian aid for 11 hours a day.

The announcement comes as the Strip's population of more than 2 million struggle with a humanitarian situation that the United Nations has described as “unspeakable”

The war, which began on Oct. 7 in the wake of a Hamas attack on Israel that left nearly 1,200 dead and 250 hostages, is now in its ninth month with no sign of a cease-fire-hostage deal in the immediate future. The enclave's health ministry said more than 37,000 people have been killed in the fighting in Gaza so far. on saturday, Eight Israeli soldiers South Gaza was killed in the deadliest single incident since the start of the war. More than 300 IDF soldiers have died so far.

The “pause,” which the IDF announced Sunday but COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for approving aid to Gaza, said went into effect Saturday, has raised questions about what it means for the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Human rights groups have described health concerns for Palestinians in the enclave as “beyond crisis levels”, according to the United Nations Organization for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), where more than 75% of the population has been displaced. Israeli military operations have devastated neighborhoods, damaged health infrastructure, and reduced food, water, and fuel supplies.

The announcement appeared to deepen existing political rifts in the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upset when he first heard about it, according to one official.

Here's what we know.

The IDF announced that there would be a “local, strategic pause in military activity for humanitarian purposes” from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice.

The break began on Saturday, the IDF said, and is intended to allow trucks to pass from the Keram Shalom crossing, the main entry point for aid arriving in southern Gaza, to Salah al-Din Road and to the north.

The IDF has designated a specific route for the aid trucks to take, starting from Kerem Shalom and heading towards the Al Bayouq neighborhood and the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.

The route will be run in coordination with international agencies, the IDF said, as part of efforts to increase the amount of aid reaching Gaza.

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Shortly after the move was announced, the IDF said “fighting continues in Rafah,” adding that there is “no change” in the country's policy on aid to the Strip.

In response to questions from CNN's Paula Hancocks during a briefing to international media at Kerem Shalom on Monday, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that “sometimes when you say strategic pause, people might think we're stopping the war. In Gaza.”

“We should have made it better clear that we are fighting in Gaza, we are fighting in Rafah and we have created this safe pass, in these hours, the distribution (of aid) is going on,” Hagari said.

The IDF said the “humanitarian pause” was to help the UN collect and distribute aid at its crossing, where Israel said aid was being deposited.

COGAT said Sunday that 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks are awaiting collection and distribution on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Georgios Petropoulos, head of the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Gaza, told CNN on Monday that the break is “nothing new on the ground” and that there are many problems preventing aid workers from reaching parts of Palestine. enclave

That includes fighting between Israel and Hamas, but also the dangers of travel routes as much of Gaza struggles with a state of lawlessness — where “there's a lack of any police or rule of law,” Petropoulos said.

The break is “the packaging of an announcement that reflects what we've been doing here in Gaza for over a week,” Petropoulos told CNN, adding that “that road was being used by the United Nations for several days to transport goods.”

When roads are dangerous, aid trucks can't go up them, he said. “The war between Hamas and Israel is not our only issue.”

It's unclear how effective the break will be, as the IDF has previously designated other routes as safe routes for aid, only to hit aid convoys. In April, seven aid workers from the nonprofit were killed in a deadly Israeli attack World Central Kitchen (WCK) The group, in coordination with the Israeli military in Gaza, struck what it called a “conflict-free zone”.

Aid groups say no difference has yet been seen on the ground.

“We have seen no improvement so far,” said Scott Anderson, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, adding that “law and order in Gaza is not enabling the efficient delivery of environmental aid.”

A pause cannot replace a cease-fire, warned James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund. “I unfortunately don't know (how long the pause will last), it's a question for the occupying power, Israel and its military.”

A humanitarian crisis has been ongoing in Gaza for more than eight months. Thousands of people have died in the besieged enclave and more than half the population has been internally displaced, according to the health ministry there.

UNRWA says Gazans are facing desperate levels of hunger, with more than 50,000 children in need of treatment for acute malnutrition. Hospitals are devastated, medical supplies are in short supply and humanitarian access is limited, the UN agency added.

According to UNRWA, 60 trucks entered Gaza on June 12, the last batch of vehicles recorded by the UN agency.

Land crossings, which aid groups say are the most efficient way to get aid into Gaza, remain limited. Of the five land crossings, only two have recently been opened for aid trucks. They are the Israeli-controlled Keram Shalom and Western Erase crossings.

A humanitarian pier built by the US military off the Gaza coast was also closed due to heavy seas, which hampered the delivery of maritime aid.

Gaza's Government Media Office (GMO) has denied that a “strategic ceasefire” has now taken effect in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Talking about a strategic end to the war is an Israeli lie,” the GMO said in a statement on Sunday. “We are still demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing to meet the needs of the population, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.”

It is unclear who made the decision for the break, as several Israeli officials appear to have been kept in the dark before the announcement. This includes the Prime Minister, who initially rejected the break.

According to an Israeli official, Netanyahu questioned who ordered it and was upset when he first heard about it.

The prime minister then contacted his military secretary and said the idea was unacceptable until he was assured the Rafah battle would continue, said the official who spoke to CNN on Sunday and requested anonymity.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir also condemned the break. “Anyone who decides on a 'strategic pause' for the purpose of a humanitarian transition, especially at a time when our best soldiers are dying in battle, is evil and foolish, and should not be in his position,” he said. .

The disagreement, which erupted publicly in statements and Israeli media, deepened the rift within the country's government.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant approved the break, an IDF spokesman said Monday. He said such a decision would first be taken by COGAT and the Southern Command and then move up the chain of command for approval depending on the situation.

Asked whether such a decision would require approval from the Israeli government or the cabinet, the spokesman said, “Such a decision does not require cabinet approval and has been approved by the defense minister.”

In a statement earlier Monday, the IDF said the decision was made by the army, not the Israeli government.

The military said in a statement to CNN, “The announcement of the pause comes after requests by the IDF's political leaders in recent weeks to allow the introduction of aid and announce it to the world.

The pause is to meet the International Court of Justice's demand for aid to Gaza before a court hearing by the end of June.

The pause is “intended for hearings … at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where Israel must prove that it has not violated the order issued on the Rafah war,” which precludes a court order to stop the fighting. The IDF said.

The ICJ is investigating A suit brought by Pretoria Against Israel where South Africa accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians during the war. In May, it ordered Israel to immediately end its controversial military operation in Rafah, which the court said classified the humanitarian situation in the southern city as “catastrophic”. Israeli officials condemned the ICJ ruling.