Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has also warned against an army proposal for daily tactical pauses in the fighting on the main supply route into Gaza so that aid can be delivered.
The army had scheduled for these halts from 0500 GMT to 1600 GMT daily in the area from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and northwards.
When he was told about 11-hour humanitarian pauses, the Israeli premier said "it was not a workable plan", his military secretary told a security cabinet meeting. The army said its operations would not be affected in Rafah-its main area of focus in southern Gaza, where eight Israeli soldiers were killed in a fierce battle-at and that firing in the area was soon to resume.
Netanyahu's reaction illustrates the political handwringing over whether to give Gaza more help, and warnings from the United Nations and other interntational organizations that the territory is on the brink of a deeper humanitarian crisis. Netanyahu's nationalist religious coalition has been unflagging in their criticism of the idea of tactical pauses, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling out the decision-makers directly.
This dispute reflects ongoing friction between the coalition and the military regarding the war's management, which is now in its ninth month. It follows former general Benny Gantz's resignation from the government, accusing Netanyahu of lacking a coherent strategy in Gaza.
The tensions did not remain unnoticed especially during a parliament vote on conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military. Even the fact that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voted against the bill saying that it did not meet military needs, violated the party order, and did help much to the solution of the conflict. The fact that many religious parties are in the coalition and some of them oppose ultra-Orthodox conscription does not better the situation either, so the unwise actions only make the public even more frustrated.
Military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi highlighted the necessity of enlisting more soldiers from the ultra-Orthodox community. Despite growing international calls for a ceasefire, an agreement remains elusive, months after Hamas's attack on October 7 prompted Israel's ground assault on Gaza. The conflict has resulted in over 37,000 Palestinian deaths according to Palestinian health officials, while the initial attack claimed approximately 1,200 Israeli and foreign lives.
Although there is broad Israeli support for the goal of dismantling Hamas, there is significant public discontent over the government's efforts to secure the release of about 120 hostages held in Gaza. Recently, seven Palestinians were killed in airstrikes on two houses in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has also sparked a lower-level but escalating conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border, with near-daily exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia. Netanyahu's government has extended the funding for hotels and guesthouses for residents evacuated from southern border towns until August 15, signaling that the fighting in Gaza may persist.