Israel will soon slow or halt humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its offensive, attempting to cripple Hamas, an official says

The official, who speaks on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, tells 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 evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents south.

Israel on Friday declared Gaza City a combat zone, calling it a Hamas stronghold and saying that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout the nearly 23-month-long war.

The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering. In recent days, the military has ramped up strikes and operations on the city’s outskirts.

It is unclear when the pause in aid would begin and when the airdrops would fully stop. There had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from the almost daily drops for the past few weeks.

Israel’s army didn’t 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 spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation “inevitable.”