Israel declares Gaza City a 'combat zone' and suspends humanitarian aid pauses

The city was among locations where the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) paused fighting last month to allow for food and aid supplies to enter between 10am and 8pm.

The "tactical pauses" covered Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi - where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have been sheltering.

It comes as Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan for the military to occupy the city, mobilising tens of thousands of reserve troops in order to do so.

It claims Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a tunnel network that remains in use by militants, and is most likely the area where the remaining Israeli hostages are being held.

The city also is home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities.

The United Nations has said the offensive will have a "horrific humanitarian impact", adding on Thursday that the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.

The families of Israeli hostages have also warned that a military occupation of Gaza City puts the captives' lives at risk.

The IDF did not say whether it had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military said this week that the evacuation of Gaza City is "inevitable", with around one million Palestinians expected to be forced south.

Last week, famine was officially declared in Gaza.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) - a globally recognised system for classifying the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition - said hunger, starvation and child malnutrition had surpassed thresholds.

-SKY NEWS