ISRAEL'S military has said it is suspending noon pauses to allow 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 10am to 8pm.
It comes as Israel said its military had recovered the bodies of two hostages. The hostages include an Israeli man who was killed in the October 7 attack that sparked the war.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri as well as another unnamed hostage were returned to Israel.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.
The “tactical pauses” applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three places where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering.
In a post on Twitter/X, the Israeli military said: "In accordance with the situational assessment & directives of the political echelon, starting today at 10:00, the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone".
The army added that it will continue "supporting humanitarian efforts while conducting operations to protect Israel".
Israel’s military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities.
Israel has claimed 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.
According to estimates from the Gaza Civil Defence, Israel has completely destroyed more than 1000 buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City, since it started its sustained assault on the city on August 6.
The United Nations said on Thursday that the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.
The ceasefire pause comes as at least 34 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks since dawn on Friday, including six people who were seeking aid.
Two people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Zeitoun neighbourhood in the southwest of Gaza City, a source at the city’s al-Ahli Hospital told Al Jazeera.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, a child was killed by Israeli attack, an emergency worker also told the outlet.
At least three people were also killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
