Several plumes of smoke were seen rising over the Gaza skyline on Saturday as Israel said it will slow or halt humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the arrival of aid trucks into the northern part of the Strip as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents south.

Israel on Friday declared Gaza City a combat zone, calling it a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout the nearly 23-month-long war.

The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine. In recent days, the military has ramped up strikes on the city’s outskirts.

The military's announcement to resume fighting came as the death toll in Gaza rose to more than 63,000 people. On Saturday, four people were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Awda hospital, were the bodies were brought.

It was unclear when the pause in aid would begin and when the airdrops would fully stop. By Saturday there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from the almost daily drops for the past few weeks.

Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comment about the airdrops or how it would provide aid to Palestinians as Israel ramped up its offensive.

Aid groups warn that a large-scale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis.

AP Video by Shlomo Mor