Israel said Monday that more than 120 truckloads of food aid were distributed by the U.N. and aid agencies in the Gaza Strip on the first day of a promised limited break in fighting.

On Sunday, Israel declared a "tactical pause" in military operations in part of Gaza and promised to open secure routes for aid, urging humanitarian groups to step up food distribution.

Israeli troops boarded a boat which the pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla had been sailing towards Gaza on Saturday, Israel said, a scene that was livestreamed by the group.

A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a U.S.-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention.

Aid trucks had begun entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Sunday, AFPTV footage showed, as Israel announced a "tactical pause" in parts of the devastated territory to allow deliveries.

Palestinians expressed mixed opinions Friday after French President Emmanuel Macron said he'd recognize a Palestinian state, with enthusiasm mitigated by the world's failure to stem suffering in Gaza.

"We hope it will be implemented, and we hope that most or all countries around the world will follow France's lead in recognizing the Palestinian people's right to an independent state," said Nabil Abdel Razek, a resident of Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority.

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli operations killed 11 people on Saturday in the Palestinian territory devastated by over 21 months of war.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Hamas did not want a ceasefire deal in Gaza, after Israel and the United States quit indirect negotiations with the Palestinian militant group.

"It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die," Trump said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that Hamas was obstructing a deal to released hostages held in Gaza, as indirect negotiations hit a dead end.

A Hamas official on Friday accused US envoy Steve Witkoff of distorting reality after he announced Washington's withdrawal from Gaza truce talks and accused the group of blocking a deal.

Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are expected to resume next week, a Hamas official said Friday, as Israeli strikes continue across Gaza and experts warn Palestinians are on the brink of famine.

Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Friday that he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for consultations early next week. Previous talks had been held in Qatar. His comments come a day after the United States recalled its negotiating team from Qatar and after President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to the negotiations showed a "lack of desire" to reach a truce.