Israel declares Gaza's largest city a combat zone, halts humanitarian deliveries

  Israel's military on Friday said it was suspending mid-day pauses allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it a "a dangerous combat zone." 

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm. 

The "tactical pauses" applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The suspension came as Israel prepared to widen its offensive in the city, days after it reported strikes in key neighbourhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists. 

Israel's military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities. 

Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids. The city also is home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities. 

The United Nations said on Thursday the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned. 

The suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world's leading food security authority declared Gaza City was being gripped by famine after months of warnings. 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said hunger has been driven by fighting and Israel's blockade on the majority of aid and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production. 

The IPC analysis concluded hunger, starvation and child malnutrition had surpassed thresholds necessary to declare famine. 

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups active in Gaza, said Israel's preparation for its large-scale ground offensive had already made deliveries challenging. 

"We have faced unprecedented access and movement restrictions," spokesperson Shaina Low said on Friday. "Intensified military operations are going to further hinder our ability to respond."

Associated Press