Israel is preparing to halt or sharply reduce humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, an Israeli official confirmed on August 30, 2025. The move comes just a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone, raising fears of worsening conditions for civilians and hostages still held in the enclave.
The official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said Israel will soon stop airdrops over Gaza City and reduce the number of aid trucks entering the area. The decision coincides with Israeli preparations to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents southward.
What’s the impact of Gaza being declared a combat zone?
On August 29, Israel ended daytime pauses in fighting that had allowed limited aid delivery, citing Hamas’s continued presence and alleged use of tunnel networks in Gaza City. The United Nations and aid groups have repeatedly warned that such pauses fell far short of the 600 aid trucks required daily.
“We left because the area became unlivable,” said Fadi Al-Daour, one of the displaced, as families fled south through devastated streets.
Global aid agencies have sounded alarms over what they describe as the impending collapse of humanitarian relief. “Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. She warned that it was “impossible” to conduct a safe and dignified evacuation under current conditions.
At the same time, the United Kingdom began evacuating critically ill children from Gaza for treatment in NHS hospitals. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the tightening aid restrictions as a “man-made famine” and pledged an additional £15 million in medical relief funding, alongside expedited visas for Palestinian students on UK scholarships.
Are the civilian toll and hostage concerns rising?
Israeli airstrikes overnight hit multiple areas in Gaza City. A strike on a bakery in the Nasr neighborhood killed 12 people, while seven more were killed in the Rimal district, according to hospital officials. Gaza’s Health Ministry said an additional 10 people, including three children, died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of such deaths to 332 during the war.
The ministry reports that at least 63,371 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, nearly half of them women and children, but doesn’t provide any proof that the figures are correct. Israel disputes the figures but provides no alternative count.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the remains recovered on August 29, 2025, belonged to hostage Idan Shtivi, abducted from the Nova music festival during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.
Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel believes 20 are alive. Families of the captives staged fresh protests in Tel Aviv on August 30, demanding a ceasefire and prisoner release deal.
Is a key Hamas spokesman reportedly killed?
In a major development, Israel announced that Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood. The IDF and Shin Bet credited prior intelligence for enabling the strike.
Obeida, a longtime public face of Hamas, had warned just a day earlier that hostages’ fates would mirror those of Hamas fighters. Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Has Greta Thunberg joined the new Gaza Flotilla?
Amid mounting international concern, climate activist Greta Thunberg set sail from Barcelona on August 31 as part of the largest flotilla in years, attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. Wearing a “We Are All Palestine Action” T-shirt, the 22-year-old was cheered by thousands of supporters as she boarded one of dozens of vessels.
“This mission challenges the violent international system that has failed to uphold international law,” Thunberg said, pledging solidarity with Gazans. Israel has long maintained that its naval blockade, in place since 2007, is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. It dismissed Thunberg’s previous attempt to reach Gaza as a propaganda stunt.
The flotilla, carrying hundreds of activists from 44 countries, seeks to open a humanitarian corridor. Israel has vowed to enforce the blockade, warning it is prepared for “a wide range of scenarios.”
What is the outlook for escalation and evacuation?
With Israel’s security cabinet already approving a plan to seize control of Gaza City, international agencies fear “catastrophic consequences” for civilians and hostages alike. More than 90% of Gaza City’s homes are damaged or destroyed, and basic services have collapsed.
Belgium added to the mounting diplomatic pressure on September 2, announcing it will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly. Brussels also unveiled 12 new sanctions on Israel, including bans on settlement products and restrictions on Israeli firms in public contracts.
Despite mounting international condemnation, Netanyahu has vowed to intensify the campaign until Hamas is defeated.