Israel declares Gaza a combat zone and halts humanitarian aid

The Israeli military says it has begun the “initial stages” of its offensive on Gaza City, as it declared the largest urban centre in the besieged territory a “combat zone” and announced the suspension of daily pauses in fighting there that allowed the entry of humanitarian aid to the famine-hit city, Al Jazeera writes.

“We are not waiting. We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X.

He also stated that the Israeli forces are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city.

Israel also announced that it had recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, an Israeli killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, whose body had been taken to Gaza.

The announcements came as the Israeli military confirmed it suspended so-called “tactical pauses” in its attacks on the city in northern Gaza that had previously allowed limited humanitarian operations there.

“Starting today at 10:00am (07:00 GMT), the tactical-local ceasefire of military activity will not apply to the Gaza City area, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said on X.

Last week, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative said famine was occurring in Gaza. The UN’s children’s agency warned on Friday that staff at a nutrition centre in Gaza City are struggling to cope with a surge in malnourished children.