Shafaq News - Middle East

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissmissed a UN-backed report announcing famine in Gaza, calling it “an outright lie” and insisting that Israel is facilitating humanitarian aid to civilians.

In a post on X, Netanyahu argued that Israel “does not have a policy of starvation” but “a policy of preventing starvation,” adding that since the start of the war, his government had enabled the entry of two million tons of aid into Gaza — more than one ton per person. He described international concern over food shortages as a Hamas-driven “starvation campaign” aimed at undermining Israel’s objectives.

UN agencies officially declared famine in Gaza following the latest assessment from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) network. The report confirmed famine conditions and projected expansion into Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September. According to the figures, over 500,000 people are already in “Phase 5” — the most severe and irreversible level of food insecurity — while a further 1.07 million, or 54 percent of Gaza’s population, face “Phase 4” emergency levels of hunger.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the cabinet had approved a strategy to “defeat Hamas through heavy fire, evacuations, and maneuvering.”

Israel has entered the second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, launching a renewed ground offensive in Gaza and calling up 60,000 additional reservists starting in September. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 62,263 fatalities and 157,365 injuries, mostly women and children. Officials said that in the past 24 hours alone, Israeli strikes on aid convoys and distribution points killed 24 people and wounded 133 others.