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, BBC reports.
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.
