CAIRO: Israel will ease its blockade and let limited amounts of food into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday (May 18), after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in the northern and southern parts of the enclave.

In an apparent shift in approach, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Tel Aviv was open to a deal with Hamas to "end the fighting" in Gaza, laying out conditions for such an agreement.

Israel has said it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a block of nearly three months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was to "allow a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop".