Israel is preparing to end airdrops of humanitarian aid over Gaza City and restrict the entry of supplies to the north, in a move aimed at forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee south before an expected ground assault, Israel’s state broadcaster Kan reported on Friday.

The decision is intended to send a message to more than 800,000 residents that they must leave Gaza City, the channel said, citing an Israeli security official who claimed infrastructure in the south was ready to receive displaced civilians.

The army is expected to begin issuing evacuation orders within about 10 days, according to the report.

The move follows orders from Israel’s political echelon to end what it called a “tactical pause” in daily fighting, which for the past month had allowed limited hours for humanitarian aid deliveries.

That pause came under growing international pressure over severe food shortages in the enclave.

Kan said partial pauses would remain in some central areas and in al-Mawasi, a strip of land in the south where Israel seeks to direct civilians to gather.

The escalation coincided with the Israeli military’s declaration that Gaza City—home to nearly half of the territory’s 2.4 million people—had become a “dangerous combat zone.”

Israel has killed over 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.