The Israeli army says it will hold a daily "tactical pause in military activity" along a road in southern Gaza to allow more humanitarian aid to enter, but stressed there is no ceasefire and fighting will continue in Rafah.

The breaks, which reportedly began on Saturday, will last from 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) to 19:00 local time until further notice.

They will affect only one road leading north from the key Kerem Shalom crossing, which Gaza shares with Israel.

Aid agency ActionAid told the BBC it was getting a "confusing" idea of ​​what the pauses meant.

Israel has been under constant pressure from its allies, including the US, to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday's announcement follows "further related discussions with the UN and international organizations".

The humanitarian pause route leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza to Salah al-Din Road - a major highway - and then north to the European Hospital near the town of Khan Younis.

In a post on X, the IDF clarified that there is no ceasefire in the southern Gaza Strip and fighting will continue in Rafah.

A spokesman for ActionAid, which is helping to deliver supplies to Gaza, told the BBC that the pause would help aid flow in, but that they needed more details about the logistics.

According to Israeli media, neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were aware of plans for a pause before it was announced.

Netanyahu's office reportedly said the prime minister told his military secretary the plan was "unacceptable" after hearing about it on Sunday.

He is said to have been told that there has been no change in IDF policy and that the fighting in Rafah "continues as planned".

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the decision to cease fighting was made by a "fool" who was "evil".

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah since Israeli troops entered it more than a month ago, taking control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt and ordering many to evacuate.

The crossing - once the main entry point for help - has since been closed.

Israel says its operation in Rafah is necessary to drive Hamas from what it calls the group's "last major stronghold."

International agencies have warned of a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and have made repeated calls to allow more aid.

On Wednesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a significant portion of Gaza's population was facing "catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions."

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza continues to be far below what agencies have said is required.

The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, reported that in May, the average daily number of trucks delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza - not including fuel - was 97. In April the figure was 169 and in March it was 139.

Before the outbreak of war on October 7, around 500 trucks carrying aid - including fuel - entered Gaza every day.

OCHA states that since May 7, it has not been able to directly observe the arrival of aid from the private sector through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

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

This happened during an operation in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, which has been a key target for Israeli forces in recent weeks.

Hamas' armed wing said it fired a rocket at an armored vehicle after setting up an ambush.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the fight against Hamas, urging Israelis not to allow anyone to "distract" them from "the plain and simple fact - despite the heavy and shocking cost, we must adhere to the goals of the war".

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 into northern Gaza despite having all the necessary documents. /BBC/