Image source, AFP via Getty Images

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has reacted to today's IPC report.

"Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: 'famine'," the UN chief says.

Guterres says it's "not a mystery," but rather "a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself".

"Famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival," Guterres adds.

The UN chief says Israel has "unequivocal obligations under international law - including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population".

"We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity. No more excuses. The time for action is not tomorrow -- it is now. We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and full, unfettered humanitarian access," he adds.

The IPC says it has been unable to fully assess the famine situation in two of the Gaza Strip's five governorates.

The report says the "severity of conditions" in North Gaza has been found to be "similar or worse than in Gaza Governorate", but that "limited evidence" means the IPC recommended not to classify the area as the data is insufficient to meet its thresholds.

"Urgent steps should be taken to allow for a full humanitarian assessment in this governorate," the IPC says.

In Rafah, the IPC says it chose not to analyse the area as evidence indicated that the area in the Strip's south is "largely depopulated".

But the report emphasises that anyone left living there is of "high concern", given the Israel's extensive "evacuation and military zones and no access to services or assistance in this area".

More now from the IPC report, which projects that "malnutrition threatens the lives of 132,000 children under five" in Gaza until June next year, assessing they are expected to suffer "acute malnutrition".

It adds that 41,000 of these cases will experience "severe" malnutrition, double the number estimated in the IPC's May assessment, putting them at "heightened risk of death".

More on Israel's response to the IPC report which it claims is based on "questionable methodology".

Cogat says the IPC's famine classification rests on an "unpublished phone survey and questionable assessments by Unrwa, a UN agency known for its workers being an integral part of Hamas, and local NGOs, while speculating wildly about mortality rates that even Hamas’s own Health Ministry does not report" which undermines its credibility.

Cogat also accuses the IPC of failing to take into account Israel's measures to stabilise the situation and the significant humanitarian efforts.

The response concludes saying there is a "consistent Israeli policy to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s civilian population" and that will continue "in full accordance with international law".

Israel says it "firmly rejects" the findings of the latest IPC report, "specifically the claim of famine in Gaza City".

The response from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat), the military body in charge of aid, states "the report is false and relies on partial, biased data and superficial information originating from Hamas, a terrorist organisation".

It goes on to call the IPC's evaluation one-sided and that it disregards the "extensive humanitarian efforts undertaken in Gaza".

The famine in Gaza is "entirely man-made", the IPC's report says, adding that it can be "halted and reversed".

"The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading," the report adds.

The IPC - a global initiative by UN agencies, aid groups and governments - is the primary mechanism the international community uses to conclude whether a famine is happening.

Its 59-page report, external published a few minutes ago says there should be "no doubt in anyone's mind that an immediate, at-scale response is needed".

"Any further delay—even by days—will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality," it adds.

Famine has been confirmed in Gaza City for the first time, a UN-backed body responsible for monitoring food security says.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has raised its classification to Phase 5, the highest and worst level of its acute food insecurity scale.

It says famine is confirmed in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surrounding area, with "catastrophic conditions" projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.

More than 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip are facing “starvation, destitution and death”, it adds.

We're going through the report and will bring you more on the IPC's findings shortly.

As a reminder, the IPC does not itself formally declare whether a famine is happening, but provides analysis that allows governments, organisations and agencies to issue statements or declarations about famine.

Ghada Al Kourd, a journalist in Gaza City, tells the BBC that people are in dire need of food, water and medical supplies.

A little earlier, she told Radio 4's Today programme that some aid trucks are getting into Gaza but "most are being looted... so normal people, poor people, can't access the products".

Al Kourd adds that many people are refusing to evacuate Gaza City as they believe there is no safe place in Gaza to go to.

She points out that people don't have the ability to move again without cars or transportation let alone the energy or money to head to an "unknown destination" already full of people.

She adds that the sound of gunfire and explosions is coming closer saying "we hear it all the time".

Image source, Reuters

Israel has previously denied there is starvation in Gaza and rejected claims it is blocking aid.

At the end of last month, the Israeli military said it had airdropped humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip - a move that was criticised at the time by aid agencies as a "grotesque distraction".

Other aid drops have since taken place - but warnings have been issued about their safety, with reports that civilians were hit and killed by the falling pallets.

Earlier this week, BBC Verify found 10 separate occasions where aid was dropped into an area that the Israeli military has explicitly warned people not to enter.

In addition to airdrops, Israel said it would designate humanitarian corridors for UN convoys. However, on Tuesday the UN warned that the "trickle of aid" entering Gaza is insufficient to "avert widespread starvation".

Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of aid, says roughly 300 aid trucks are entering daily, but the UN says 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

The Israeli military is keeping up pressure on Gaza City.

The UN says that recent “relentless bombardment” in the east and south has caused “high numbers of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction.”

Now, the Israeli military says it’s told doctors and aid workers to start making evacuation arrangements ahead of its expanded military offensive.

Yesterday, speaking to soldiers serving in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister said he was approving military plans to conquer Gaza City and defeat Hamas - but would also begin immediate talks on releasing the hostages and ending the war on Israel’s terms.

The announcement appears to amount to a rejection of the new ceasefire and hostage release proposal from regional mediators – which Hamas accepted.

There are fears that the new military campaign in Gaza City will deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has released new data about malnutrition in children, pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza.

The medical aid organisation says its teams have "seen a steady and significant increase in malnourished patients" since mid-June.

Among the patients which attend its clinics and primary care centres in Gaza, MSF says, nearly one in five children are suffering from severe or moderate malnutrition. Of those being treated for malnutrition by MSF, more than half are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The charity also warns that food shortages are so severe that sometimes hospitals are unable to feed patients - and its staff are "going without food sometimes for days at a time".

MSF notes that malnutrition is affecting "people’s ability to heal from other traumatic injuries", with injured Gazans receiving less than half of the calories they need to properly recover. This leads to "severe medical complications, including infection, delayed healing, and often amputation", it adds.

"This is a man-made starvation. The Israeli authorities are using food as a weapon of war, creating widespread starvation," MSF says in its statement.

Image source, Getty Images

Israel's defence minister says Gaza City will be destroyed if Hamas does not agree to disarm and release all hostages.

Israel Katz's comments came after the Israeli cabinet approved plans for a fresh Gaza City offensive despite widespread international and domestic opposition.

Writing on X, Katz says: "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.

"If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun," he added.

Both cities have been reduced to ruins following Israeli military operations.

As we've been reporting, the Israeli cabinet yesterday approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City.

In a video statement during a visit to the Gaza division's headquarters in Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu said he had approved "the IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas".

He also said that he had "instructed to immediately begin negotiations for the release of all our hostages" and an end to the war in Gaza on terms "acceptable to Israel".

"These two matters - defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages - go hand in hand," Netanyahu added, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.

The IDF has warned medical officials and international organisations to prepare for the planned evacuation of Gaza City's entire population of one million residents to shelters in the south before troops move in.

It comes after Hamas agreed to a proposal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire on Monday, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Image source, Reuters

The upcoming update follows warnings about mass starvation in Gaza last month from more than 100 international aid organisations.

"Humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes," read a joint statement, external signed by 109 groups including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam.

"As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families," it continued.

The statement said it was "urging governments to act" by opening land crossings, agreeing to a ceasefire and ending the siege by allowing the flow of food and other aid into the territory.

At the time, Israel - which controls the entry of supplies into the Gaza Strip - rejected the statement, accusing its signatories of "serving the propaganda of Hamas".

Rorey Bosotti
Live page editor

Image source, Reuters

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classifications (IPC) will release an update later this morning on famine in the Gaza Strip.

The UN-backed body responsible for monitoring food security, which does not itself officially declare famine, said last month that the “worst-case scenario of famine” was “playing out in Gaza".

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says 271 people have died of "famine and malnutrition" since on 7 October 2023 - including 112 children.

Humanitarian agencies have called on Israel to facilitate the access of more aid into the Strip, warning food and water shortages could develop into a famine.

Israel denies there's starvation in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying earlier this month that Israel's "policy throughout the war has been to prevent a humanitarian crisis while Hamas’s policy has been to create it".

The new report comes less than 24 hours after Netanyahu said he's approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City, despite widespread international and domestic opposition.

We'll bring you all the key lines from the report once it's released.