Monday Briefing: Israel Plans for a Daily Pause in Some Fighting

A view of the Gaza skyline from southern Israel.Credit…Associated Press

Israel announces a daily pause in some fighting

The Israeli military said yesterday that it would suspend daytime military operations near a border crossing in southern Gaza “until further notice.” The move is an effort to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the enclave, as aid groups make increasingly urgent warnings about the lack of food and other basic goods.

The announcement, made on the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, comes amid a flurry of negotiations, mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, to reach a cease-fire. One sticking point in those talks is a disagreement over the permanence of any cessation of hostilities.

Israel’s military stressed yesterday that the pause would be limited, that its offensive in Rafah would continue and that there would be “no cessation of fighting” in southern Gaza overall.

The government suggested that the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had learned of the pause only from news reports and signaled his disapproval. But analysts said it was likely that Netanyahu was aware of the plan and the messaging of its rollout, with each tailored to different audiences.

Gazans: As the war drags on, people are growing more willing to speak out against Hamas.