Israel will halt airdrops over Gaza City, cut back aid truck access to the northern strip, and prepare to displace hundreds of thousands of residents to the south. Gaza City has been declared a combat zone and identified as a Hamas stronghold, with authorities alleging continued tunnel use despite prior large-scale raids. Military strikes have intensified on the city's outskirts while hundreds of thousands shelter amid famine. Aid deliveries have paused for days, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 63,000, and aid organizations warn that a mass evacuation would deepen the humanitarian catastrophe.
The official told the Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the arrival of aid trucks into the northern part of the strip, as it prepares to displace hundreds of thousands of residents south.
Israel on Friday declared Gaza City a combat zone, calling it a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout the nearly 23-month-long war.
By Saturday there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from the almost daily drops of the past few weeks. Israel's army did not respond to a request for comment about the airdrops or how it would provide aid to Palestinians as Israel ramped up its offensive. On Friday, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation "inevitable". Aid groups warn that a largescale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis.
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