United Nations teams will step up efforts to feed Palestinians in Gaza during pauses in designated areas announced on Sunday by Israel, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said.

"In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X reported Reuters.

The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of a series of steps launched as concerns over surging hunger in the territory mount and as Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war.

The military said it would begin a “tactical pause” in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid” entering the territory. The pause begins every day at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time until further notice, beginning Sunday.

The military also said that it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery and that it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food, reported The Associated Press.