Israel said it will halt combat operations for ten hours each day in three densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip—Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and the coastal Al-Mawasi enclave—beginning Sunday. The military added that designated safe routes for convoys will operate for most of the day to accelerate deliveries of food and medicine, after weeks of mounting criticism over images of starvation in the blockaded territory. The announcement follows appeals from Western and Arab governments and warnings from aid organisations that famine is spreading. The World Health Organization has recorded 63 malnutrition-related deaths in July alone, and UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called the pause "a welcome step" while urging "vast, sustained" access for relief groups. Separately, the Jordanian Armed Forces said they carried out three aid airdrops over Gaza—including one jointly with the United Arab Emirates—parachuting about 25 tons of food and other supplies in the first such operation in months. Jordan stressed that the drops are an emergency measure and "no substitute" for over-land convoys, which continue to face Israeli inspection and security delays. Aid agencies contend the new measures remain insufficient. The UN World Food Programme estimates that nearly one-third of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have gone days without eating, and continues to press for a full cease-fire and unrestricted truck access to prevent further mass hunger. Diplomatic efforts to secure a broader truce have stalled, leaving the scale and duration of Israel’s tactical pause uncertain.