Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, set to begin on Sept. 9.“Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism—including the October 7 [2023] massacre—and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law,” the State Department said in a statement released on Friday.[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]It’s currently unclear if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is set to travel to New York to deliver an address at the General Assembly, is included in the restrictions.The State Department insisted that the PA must end appeals to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), moves which the department called “attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns.”The PA’s “appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state” have “contributed to Hamas’ refusal to release its hostages,” as well as the breakdown of cease-fire talks, said the State Department.Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the ICJ, first presented by South Africa in December 2023, in a case that remains ongoing. Israel has strongly denied accusations of a genocide. The ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour has reportedly commented on Rubio’s revocation of visas, telling U.N. reporters on Friday: “We will see exactly what it means and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly.”The PA mission to the U.N. will receive waivers from the international organization, per the U.N. Headquarters Agreement, and the U.S. is said to be “open to re-engagement that is consistent with our laws.”The action from the State Department comes amid pledges from a number of countries to recognize a Palestinian state, should Israel not meet certain conditions. In July, U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the U.K. would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, unless Israel implements a cease-fire and commits to a two-state solution. France, Australia, and Canada are among the countries that have issued similar statements.The State Department previously shared its intention to impose sanctions that would deny visas to officials of the PA, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, and members of the PLO.“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” read the July 31 statement.Read More: Israelis Call for Urgent Cease-Fire and Return of Hostages in Nationwide ‘Day of Struggle’ ProtestsMeanwhile, Israel announced on Friday morning that it will no longer apply “tactical pauses in military activity” in Gaza City, declaring it as a “dangerous combat zone.”In a statement shared via social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it “continues supporting humanitarian efforts while conducting operations to protect Israel.” The IDF did not confirm how long these measures will last and declined to comment further when contacted by TIME.“We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City, and we are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city,” said IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee via a social media update.Tactical pauses have previously been applied to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, typically suspending operations anywhere between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to allow aid and food supplies into Gaza City. Israel previously issued displacement orders in the area, ahead of its military expansion.The IDF’s expansion of its military operations, part of a new war plan approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet earlier this month, has been widely criticised by global leaders and humanitarian organizations.The U.N. warned on Thursday that should the Israeli war plan in Gaza go ahead in its entirety, it could reduce the territory’s hospital bed capacity by half.Last week, a U.N.-backed food security body confirmed that famine is taking place in Gaza City for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said that famine was also expected in the areas of Deir al Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.Read More: World Leaders React as U.N.-Backed Report Confirms Famine in GazaThe IDF also confirmed Friday it had recovered the body of deceased hostage Ilan Weiss. The 56-year-old was killed when Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7 2023. Weiss’ wife and daughter were taken hostage and later released during a temporary cease-fire in November 2023.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it shares the “profound grief of the Weiss family.”“There are no words to express the depth of this pain. The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home, now,” the forum emphasized.Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the remains of another hostage, whose identity has not yet been released, were also recovered.“Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their deep sorrow,” said Netanyahu.The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.