GAZA: A global hunger monitor has declared famine in Gaza City, warning the crisis is spiraling and could engulf other parts of the war-battered enclave within weeks.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) announced on Friday that nearly 514,000 people—around a quarter of Gaza’s residents—are already facing famine. That number, the agency projected, will swell past 640,000 by September’s end.
The grim assessment marks the first time the IPC has declared famine outside Africa. It placed the Gaza governorate, including the devastated capital, in full famine, while cautioning that Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis are on track to follow. In northern Gaza, the situation may be even harsher, though data shortages prevented a formal classification.
Reports from Israeli media suggest authorities intend to cut water supplies to northern Gaza while restoring pipelines to the south, part of preparations to empty out Gaza City. Anadolu Agency, citing Israel’s KAN broadcaster, said the move forms part of a larger occupation blueprint.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised final approval for a ground takeover of Gaza City. Defence Minister Israel Katz went further, threatening destruction unless Hamas lays down arms and releases hostages. “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon Hamas,” Katz declared online, warning the city could meet the same fate as Rafah and Beit Hanoun, both reduced to ruins in earlier campaigns.
The Palestinian Interior Ministry branded the planned takeover a “death sentence” for more than a million civilians still trapped in Gaza City.
Israeli air raids continued overnight, pounding Gaza City and its outskirts. At least 25 Palestinians, among them three children, were killed in strikes since dawn, local authorities reported. The heaviest bombardments struck west of Gaza City and east of Deir al-Balah.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry rejected attempts to shift medical resources south, warning the step would abandon more than a million people and leave patients and wounded residents in mortal danger.
Classified Israeli intelligence figures, cited by The Guardian and other outlets, show 83 percent of those killed since the offensive began have been civilians.
The Media Freedom Coalition, comprising over 50 states, demanded Israel open Gaza to foreign media and ensure the safety of journalists. The group noted the “extremely high” toll of dead and detained reporters since October.
At the same time, 21 countries—including Britain, France, Canada and Italy—issued a joint rebuke of Israel’s approval for the E1 settlement plan in the occupied West Bank. The governments warned that the project would bisect Palestinian territory and block access to Jerusalem, killing any chance of a two-state solution.
Since October 2023, Israel’s offensive has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Injuries now exceed 139,000, while over 14,000 remain missing under rubble.
Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his then-defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes. Israel also faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice.
