GazaHerald – Israel is preparing to halt humanitarian airdrops and sharply reduce aid to northern Gaza in a bid to force the evacuation of Gaza City, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. The move, affecting an estimated 800,000 residents, is intended to pressure Palestinians to move south, clearing the way for Israel’s planned takeover of the city.
An Israeli security source told the channel that “humanitarian infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip is now ready to receive residents,” signaling that preparations for mass displacement are nearly complete. Orders instructing civilians to leave Gaza City could be issued within the next week and a half.
The decision follows directives from Israel’s political leadership to end what it called a “tactical calm” in Gaza City, a limited ceasefire arrangement that allowed aid deliveries after weeks of international outcry over famine conditions in the enclave. From now on, partial pauses will continue only in central Gaza and the Al-Mawasi area, where Israel plans to concentrate the displaced population.
At the same time, the Israeli occupation army has labeled Gaza City, home to roughly one million people, half of the Strip’s population, a “dangerous combat zone.”
Chief of Army Eyal Zamir announced that strikes on the city would intensify in the coming weeks. Israeli forces have already pushed into the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods under heavy bombardment.
The escalation comes just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government approved the “Gideon 2” plan to seize Gaza City, despite opposition from senior military officials. Zamir and others warned that such an operation would bring heavy Israeli casualties, endanger prisoners held in Gaza, and trigger severe international backlash.
Separately, Haaretz reported that the army has ordered tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to report for duty on Tuesday, underscoring preparations for a new phase of war.
