Eight more Palestinians, including two children, starved to death in Gaza on Saturday, amid Israel's blockade of humanitarian assistance into the Palestinian territory, where the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system has declared a famine.
The famine announcement came after months of warning from rights groups that Israel has been weaponising starvation against the 2.1 million population in Gaza. At least 281 people, including 114 children, have so far starved to death in Gaza, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of crucial aid into the enclave.
Slamming Israel's response to the IPC announcement, Commissioner General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said it’s time for the Israeli government to "stop denying the famine it has created in Gaza."
"All of those who have influence must use it with determination & a sense of moral duty. Every hour counts," Lazzarini wrote in a post on X.
Israel had denounced the IPC report as "an outright lie," while accusing Palestinian group Hamas of "starving" Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel has also launched an intensified operation in Gaza City, as part of its plan to completely occupy the Palestinian territory. At least 25 Palestinians, including aid seekers and those who were sheltering in tents, were killed in various attacks across Gaza on Saturday.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has so far killed at least 62,622 Palestinians, more than half of them being women and children. Israel has also targeted and killed at least 270 journalists, over 1000 healthcare workers and aid workers. The genocidal war has also wounded at least 157,673 Palestinians.