Israel to slow or halt humanitarian aid in Gaza

Tel Aviv: Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive in the war-torn enclave, an official said Saturday, a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone, the Associated Press reported.

The decision was likely to bring more international condemnation of Israel's government as frustration grows in the country and abroad over the dire conditions for both Palestinians and remaining hostages in Gaza after nearly 23 months of war.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving in the territory's north as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people south.

Israel on Friday ended recently imposed daytime pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, describing Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a tunnel network remains in use, despite previous large-scale raids on the area. The United Nations and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other recent measures fell far short of the 600 trucks of aid needed daily in Gaza.

AP video footage overnight showed several large explosions across Gaza. In recent days, Israel's military has increased strikes on the outskirts of Gaza City, where famine was recently documented and declared by global food security experts.

It was not clear when the pause or halt in aid deliveries would begin. By Saturday, there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from the almost daily drops over the past few weeks.

Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comment about the airdrops or say how it would provide aid to Palestinians during another major shift in Gaza's population of over 2 million people.