Israeli ground operations have effectively encircled Gaza City, the United Nations humanitarian agency said Thursday. The move prevents the delivery of humanitarian aid, which has been trickling into the enclave across the southern border with Egypt, to people in the north, including 300,000 internally displaced people, the agency said.

 Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Wednesday night that the Israel Defense Forces would continue to maintain a safe passage for civilians in northern Gaza to move into the south, and that the IDF is looking for solutions to help evacuate the sick from hospitals in northern Gaza. “It's hard when you have all those forces, but we are still creating those corridors,” he said. “We want the population to get to the south. We do not want them to be part of the battles.”