Palestinians shove to get a portion of cooked food from a charity kitchen in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP
The announcement came hours after the military said it had begun "extensive ground operations" in a newly intensified assault in Gaza, and as Israel and Hamas engaged in indirect talks on a deal to potentially halt the fighting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that at the military's recommendation, "Israel will authorise the entry of a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip".
Such a crisis would jeopardise the army's new operation, it said, adding Israel would "act to prevent Hamas from seizing this humanitarian aid".
Last week, a US-supported NGO said it would begin distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza this month following talks with officials in Israel.
"The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) today announced that it will launch operations in the Gaza Strip before the end of the month," the group said in a statement.
Israel claimed its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from Hamas, but UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Last week US President Donald Trump, a critical ally, acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving", adding "we're going to get that taken care of".
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel following the latest announcement, to allow the "immediate, massive and unhampered" resumption of aid.
Israel's military announced on Sunday that troops had "begun extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip", and were "currently being deployed in key positions".
The ramped-up campaign started Saturday as the two sides entered indirect talks in Qatar on a deal.
Netanyahu's office said negotiators in Doha were "working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -- whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting".
Steve Witkoff is the US Middle East envoy who has been involved in discussions.
Netanyahu's statement said a deal "would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip".
Since Israel ended a two-month ceasefire in March and resumed its offensive, negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to make a breakthrough.
A Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said the group was willing "to release all Israeli captives in one batch, provided that a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire agreement is reached", but Israel "wants to release its prisoners in one batch or in two batches in exchange for a temporary truce".
Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel on Sunday afternoon and the army said one of two projectiles launched from Gaza had been intercepted.
The military later issued an evacuation order for several parts of Gaza ahead of an attack, warning it would "launch a powerful strike on any area used for launching rockets".
Palestinian's health ministry said Sunday at least 3,193 people have been killed since Israel resumed the war on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,339.
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