Gaza City officially in famine, says global hunger monitor
A child reacts surrounded by pots as Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 21, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS
Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and the crisis will likely spread, a global hunger monitor said on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the enclave.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said 514,000 people – nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population – are experiencing famine, with the number expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
Some 280,000 of those are in Gaza governorate, covering Gaza City, which the IPC said was in famine after nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas. It was the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside Africa. The group predicted famine conditions would spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.
The IPC added that conditions in northern Gaza could be even worse than in Gaza City but said limited data prevented precise classification.
Cut in water supplies
Israel is planning to cut water supplies to northern Gaza while repairing pipelines to the south in preparation for forcing Palestinians out of Gaza City as part of a broader plan to occupy the enclave.
Read More: Israel starts pounding Gaza City
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is weighing the move as Israeli forces continue deadly attacks across the city, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Israel public broadcaster KAN.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has also threatened to destroy Gaza City if Hamas refuses to disarm, release hostages and accept Israel’s conditions to end the war.
אישרנו אתמול את תוכניות צה"ל להכרעת החמאס בעזה - באש עצימה, בפינוי תושבים ובתמרון.
בקרוב ייפתחו שערי הגיהנום על ראשם של מרצחי ואנסי החמאס בעזה - עד שיסכימו לתנאי ישראל לסיום המלחמה ובראשם שחרור כל החטופים והתפרקות מנשקם.
אם לא יסכימו - עזה בירת החמאס תהפוך לרפיח ובית חאנון. בדיוק…“Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament,” Katz wrote on social media.
“If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” he added, referring to two cities in Gaza largely reduced to rubble in previous Israeli offensives.
Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to give final approval for the takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of remaining captives and end the war on Israel’s terms.
The Palestinian Interior Ministry denounced Israel’s push to seize Gaza City as a “death sentence” for more than one million residents.
Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, as the military announced it had taken the initial steps in its push to capture Hamas's last major stronghold.
The newly approved plan authorises the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry rejected what it described as Israeli efforts to transfer health system resources to the south of the enclave.
Read: International media organisations raise alarm as journalists in Gaza face starvation
“This step would deprive more than one million people of their right to treatment and put the lives of residents, patients and the wounded at imminent risk,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Al Jazeera.
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Photo-Reuters
Israeli strikes kill 25 since dawn
At least 25 Palestinians, including three children, were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza since dawn, with the heaviest bombardments reported west of Gaza City and east of Deir el-Balah in the central Strip, local authorities said.
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of disregarding international mediation efforts for a ceasefire and pressing ahead with the military occupation of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, 83% of those killed in Israel’s war on Gaza have been civilians, according to classified Israeli military intelligence figures cited by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call.
Coalitions press Israel on Gaza media access
The Media Freedom Coalition, a bloc of more than 50 countries, has urged Israel to allow immediate foreign media access to Gaza and ensure protection for journalists, Al Jazeera reported.
Read more: Pakistan joins 'Global Sumud Flotilla' for Gaza aid
“Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war,” the coalition said in a statement signed by members including Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.
It also condemned “the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions” of journalists since the war began.
Separately, 21 countries including Britain, France, Australia, Canada and Italy signed a joint statement denouncing Israel’s approval of a major West Bank settlement project as “unacceptable and a violation of international law,” AFP reported.
The foreign ministers warned that the plan, championed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, would divide a future Palestinian state and restrict Palestinian access to Jerusalem, making a two-state solution impossible.
“This brings no benefits to the Israeli people,” the statement said. “Instead, it risks undermining security and fueling further violence and instability.”
Also Read: Israeli forces commence new military operation in Gaza
The ministers urged Israel to immediately halt the project, known as the E1 plan, and warned that its continuation would push peace efforts further out of reach.
Israel's war on Gaza
The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 58,667 Palestinians, including 17,400 children. More than 139,974 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.