Kerem Shalom border crossing

A man transports a box of humanitarian aid, supplied by the World Food Program, back to his home in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 18, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israel's military said Sunday it would "pause" fighting around a south Gaza route daily to facilitate aid deliveries, following months of warnings of famine in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel yesterday through a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month amid heavy shelling in the southern region.

But was unclear if humanitarian groups would be able to access the aid because of ongoing fighting in the area.

The stranglehold on aid reaching Gaza threatens an "apocalyptic" outcome, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on Sunday as he warned of famine in the besieged territory.

The European Union on Wednesday urged Israel to end its military operation in Gaza's Rafah "immediately", warning that failure to do so would undermine ties with the bloc.

The African Union condemned Wednesday the Israeli military's moves into southern Gaza's Rafah, calling for the international community to stop "this deadly escalation" of the war.

Israel said it reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing to humanitarian aid for Gaza Wednesday, four days after closing it in response to a rocket attack that killed four soldiers.

Israeli sent tanks into Rafah in southern Gaza, seizing control of the border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, an operation the United Nations said denied it access to the key humanitarian passage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a truce proposal backed by Hamas, citing its misalignment with Israel's demands. The announcement followed Hamas's endorsement of a specific ceasefire proposal, which Israeli negotiators deem insufficient compared to previously discussed options.

A ceasefire is in progress. The temporary truce agreement includes a four-day pause in fighting, the first since seven weeks of fighting that began on October 7, with a Hamas attack on Israeli territory, and the release of a total of about 50 Israeli hostages in groups of about a dozen a day.

The IRC handed over to Egypt the second group of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza