Gaza war: Israel announces daily military pause along road to let in aid

The IDF said eight Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in Rafah on Saturday – the deadliest incident for the army in the war since January.

It happened during an operation in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, which has been a key target for Israeli forces in recent weeks.

The armed wing of Hamas said it fired a rocket towards an armoured vehicle after setting up an ambush.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas, urging Israelis not to let anyone “divert” them from the “clear and simple fact – despite the heavy and shocking price we must stick to the goals of war”.

“Elimination of Hamas’ governmental and military capabilities, returning all of our hostages, making sure that Gaza will not pose threat to Israel and returning our residents safely both in the north and in the south,” he said.

Aid agencies have repeatedly reported difficulties in distributing aid around Gaza. The UN children’s agency Unicef told the BBC on Friday that a convoy carrying aid was denied entry to northern Gaza, despite having all the necessary documents.

Unicef spokesman James Elder, who was travelling with the convoy, said that this had become a common occurrence.

The IDF said paperwork had not been filled out properly and accused Mr Elder of presenting a “partial picture” of the situation.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.

The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, and many hundreds of thousands more have been injured or displaced.

Negotiations over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are continuing, with the US announcing on Saturday that Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant will visit Washington soon for talks.

Earlier this week, Hamas stopped short of accepting a US-backed plan, making counter-proposals on several points.

The plan – which the US says is an Israeli proposal although Israel has not publicly endorsed it – would see a “surge” in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.