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The Palestinian Foreign Ministry affirmed its continued political, diplomatic, and international legal efforts to mobilize the broadest international pressure front to halt the crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation that the Israeli occupation has been committing. It is building on the UN declaration of a real famine in the Gaza Strip, urging states and the international community to assume their legal and moral responsibilities to put an end to it.The famine in the Gaza Strip is not natural or resulting from a scarcity of resources, the ministry said in a statement, stressing that it is a deliberate policy of the Israeli occupation that falls within the framework of committing the crimes of using starvation as a war weapon.The international failure to immediately halt the famine undermines the moral foundations of states and the international community, especially given the conviction among relevant UN organizations and their demands that humanitarian considerations should not be subjected to political considerations and interests, the ministry added.The statement warned of the risks of reoccupying Gaza City and its disastrous consequences, including the intensifying of genocide and famine, and its expansion to include the collapse of the foundations of life for more than 2 million Palestinian civilians in the strip.The Palestinian Foreign Ministry concluded its statement by calling for decisive international action and binding practical arrangements to save lives in the Gaza Strip, and for the necessary courage to confront the Israeli occupation's disregard for the international consensus to halt genocide, displacement, starvation, and annexation, stressing that halting these crimes is a distinctly international responsibility.

Israeli settlers on Sunday stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.According to Palestinian news agency (Wafa), dozens of settlers stormed Al-Buraq Square, west of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and performed Talmudic rituals on the occasion of the so-called "Hebrew New Month," in preparation for storming the mosque's courtyards.Since the beginning of the Israeli all-out aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2023, more than 68,000 settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation forces, amid tightened restrictions on entry to the mosque and the gates of the Old City.

A number of Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli occupation forces' bombing that targeted Gaza City.Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that the attack struck a tent sheltering displaced people in the Al-Saraya area of the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of the city.The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 62,622 martyrs and 157,673 wounded. The figures remain preliminary, as many victims are still under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and rescue crews unable to reach them.

Palestinian photo journalist Khaled al-Madhoun, a cameraman for Palestine TV, was killed Saturday by direct Israeli fire while covering events in the northern Gaza area of Zakim, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. The syndicate said al-Madhoun was killed while performing his professional duties, condemning the targeting of journalists as a persistent crime aimed at silencing Palestinian voices and obscuring the truth. It emphasised that such attacks would not break the resolve of Palestinian media workers who continue their mission despite grave risks. According to figures from Gaza's Government Media Office, the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces has risen to 240. Among the most recent victims were Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqa, along with four of their colleagues, prior to al-Madhoun's death. The syndicate called on the international community to condemn these killings, pursue legal action against Israeli officials, and exert pressure to halt what it described as ongoing acts of extermination and to ensure the protection of Palestinian journalists. (QNA)

Desperate Palestinians clutching pots and plastic buckets scrambled for rice at a charity kitchen in Gaza City Saturday, a day after the United Nations declared a famine in the war-battered territory. AFP footage from Gaza's largest city, which Israel plans to seize as part of an expanded military offensive, showed women and young children among the chaotic jostle of dozens clamouring and shouting for food. One young boy used his hands to scrape a few leftover grains from the inside of a cooking vat. Another young girl sat on the edge of a tent and scooped rice from a plastic bag on the ground. "We have no home left, no food, no income... so we are forced to turn to charity kitchens, but they do not satisfy our hunger," said Yousef Hamad, 58, who was displaced from the northern city of Beit Hanoun. Further south at a charity kitchen in Deir el-Balah, 34-year-old Umm Mohammad said the UN's declaration of a famine had come "far too late". The children are "staggering from dizziness, unable to wake up because of the lack of food and water," she said. The UN officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming the "systematic obstruction" of aid by Israel during more than 22 months of war. The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said famine was affecting 500,000 people in Gaza governorate, which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory including Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as "an outright lie". Yesterday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said it was "time for the government of Israel 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," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini posted on X. The IPC projected that the famine would expand to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by the end of September, covering around two-thirds of Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, kept up its bombardment of the Palestinian territory, with AFP footage showing heavy smoke billowing above the Zeitoun district of Gaza City as Palestinians picked through the wreckage of buildings. The spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, called the situation in the Sabra and Zeitoun neighbourhoods "absolutely catastrophic", describing the "complete levelling of entire residential blocks". "We are trapped here, living in fear, with nowhere to go. There's no safety anywhere in Gaza. Movement now leads to death," said Ahmad Jundiyeh, 35, who was displaced to the northern outskirts of Zeitoun. "We constantly hear the sound of bombing... we hear fighter jets, artillery shelling and even drone explosions," he told AFP by telephone. "We're extremely afraid — it feels like the end is near." Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed on Friday that Israel would destroy Gaza City as it has other parts of the territory if Hamas did not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war on Israel's terms. Residents of Gaza City said the Israeli strikes targeting the area had been relentless for days. "Let them come and see what's happening to us here on the ground in Zeitoun district. We have been ruined," said Aymen Daloul, a 53-year-old from Gaza City whose home had been destroyed. "We shall sleep on the streets as if we were cattle. Have mercy on us." Mahmud Abu Saqer, 24, said there had been a quickening exodus of residents ever since Israel announced its plans to seize Gaza City. "Just this morning, more than 500 to 600 families left, and yesterday thousands left," he said. "The sounds of explosions since morning are forcing everyone to leave."

Turkiye's First Lady wrote to her US counterpart Melania Trump on Saturday, asking her to show the same concern for Gaza's children as she has shown for those of Ukraine. Emine Erdogan asked Donald Trump's spouse to write to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show mercy to Gaza's children. In a letter presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Alaska Summit earlier this month, she appealed to him to make peace in Ukraine for the sake of the children. Turkiye's First Lady wrote: "I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children who have lost their lives in the war will be extended to Gaza as well, where, in the span of two years, 62,000 innocent civilians, including 18,000 children, have been brutally killed. "As a mother, as a woman, and as a human being, I deeply share the sentiments expressed in your letter, and I hope that you will give the same hope to the children of Gaza, who also yearn for peace and tranquillity," Emine wrote to Melania. Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tried to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine during the war, which is in its fourth year. On Tuesday, he accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon in Gaza, saying the images coming from the Palestinian enclave were worse than "Nazi camps". The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that stopping the famine in Gaza City is possible, provided that Israel allows the immediate and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid.In a brief post on its page on the social media platform X Saturday, the agency stated that ending the ongoing catastrophe requires the entry of massive quantities of aid through the United Nations, including UNRWA.It added that its warehouses in both Jordan and Egypt are filled with the necessary supplies of food, medicine, and hygiene materials, sufficient to load 6,000 trucks.This statement comes after the United Nations and international experts officially declared on Friday the widespread outbreak of famine in Gaza, marking the first such announcement regarding famine in the Middle East.In a joint statement issued from Geneva, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned that more than half a million people in the Strip are trapped in a state of famine.These organisations called on Israel to ensure the unobstructed delivery of food and medical supplies to the population to reduce deaths caused by hunger and malnutrition.Starvation in Gaza has worsened, and the death toll from malnutrition has risen since October 2023 to 272, including 113 children.The Israeli occupation has intensified its blockade on the Gaza Strip, closing the crossings to aid trucks piled up at the borders, amid continued heavy bombardment of all areas of the Strip.Since October 7, 2023, this has resulted in the martyrdom of 62,263 people and the injury of 157,365 others, in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 62,622 martyrs and 157,673 injured, most of whom are children and women.A number of victims remain trapped under the rubble, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them.Medical sources reported that Gaza hospitals have received 61 martyrs and 308 injured in the past 24 hours.Since March 18, following Israel's breach of the ceasefire agreement, the number of martyrs and injuries has reached 10,778 and 45,632 respectively.The same sources indicated that the number of aid-related martyrs in the past 24 hours reached 16, with 111 injuries, bringing the total number of martyrs seeking sustenance to 2,076 and injuries to 15,308.Gaza hospitals also recorded 8 deaths due to famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 281 cases, including 114 children.Despite international condemnation and repeated warnings from UN agencies about the catastrophic situation in Gaza, the Israeli government has been continuing its comprehensive bombardment of the Strip since October 7, 2023, exacerbating the suffering of the population and deepening the humanitarian crisis to alarming levels.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that stopping the famine in Gaza City is possible, provided that Israel allows the immediate and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid.In a brief post on its page on the social media platform X Saturday, the agency stated that ending the ongoing catastrophe requires the entry of massive quantities of aid through the United Nations, including UNRWA.It added that its warehouses in both Jordan and Egypt are filled with the necessary supplies of food, medicine, and hygiene materials, sufficient to load 6,000 trucks.This statement comes after the United Nations and international experts officially declared on Friday the widespread outbreak of famine in Gaza, marking the first such announcement regarding famine in the Middle East.In a joint statement issued by Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that more than half a million people in the Strip are trapped in a state of famine.These organizations called on Israel to ensure the unobstructed delivery of food and medical supplies to the population to reduce deaths caused by hunger and malnutrition.Starvation in Gaza has worsened, and the death toll from malnutrition has risen since October 2023 to 272, including 113 children.The Israeli occupation has intensified its blockade on the Gaza Strip, closing the crossings to aid trucks piled up at the borders, amid continued heavy bombardment of all areas of the Strip.Since October 7, 2023, this has resulted in the martyrdom of 62,263 people and the injury of 157,365 others, in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of a humanitarian convoy near Mellit in North Darfur, Sudan.In a statement issued today, the Council's Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi stressed the need to spare civilians and humanitarian personnel the ravages of conflict and to strictly adhere to international and humanitarian laws that prohibit the targeting of aid and relief supplies.He also called for respecting the sanctity of humanitarian and relief work and ensuring that aid reaches those in need without obstacles or risks.Al Budawi stressed that targeting humanitarian convoys constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and undermines efforts to achieve security and stability in Darfur and throughout Sudan.

No fewer than 29 Palestinians, including women and children, were martyred Friday in a series of Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks across various areas of the Gaza Strip.Medical sources reported that 12 of the victims, among them children and women, died when Israeli artillery targeted the Amr Ibn Al Aas School and surrounding tents sheltering displaced families in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, northwest of Gaza City.Additional casualties were reported following another strike on displaced civilians northeast of Sheikh Radwan, though the exact number of fatalities remains unclear.In Al Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, eight members of a single family were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a residential apartment near Abu Assi School.In the southern Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, an Israeli strike near Al Istijaba Mosque claimed the lives of a mother and her son, while medical teams recovered two more bodies from a previous attack. Another woman was killed and several others injured when a drone dropped a bomb on civilians in Al Shujaiya area.Further north, one Palestinian was killed and others wounded in a strike on Jabalia town. In central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, two people, including a child, were killed in a drone attack near Al Shuhada School.In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, two Palestinians were killed in a strike northwest of the city, while a child succumbed to injuries sustained in a previous attack in the Moraj area. Several others were injured when a drone targeted a desalination plant and tents for displaced persons near Asdaa Gate.The death toll from Israel’s offensive on Gaza has now reached 62,192, with 157,114 injuries reported since the war began on October 7, 2023.Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18, breaking a two-month ceasefire agreement. The renewed attacks have intensified the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has endured 22 months of continuous warfare.

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi stressed the need for immediate action by the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation forces to open the crossings and allow the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip without any restrictions or conditions.In a statement, the GCC secretary general pointed out that the official declaration of famine in the Gaza Strip by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which has reached catastrophic levels, clearly reflects the dangerous, inhumane, and illegal starvation policies pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.He reiterated the firm position of the GCC countries in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the necessity of ending the siege imposed on the Strip, opening all crossings for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs, as well as ensuring their continuous access to the Strip's population.Albudaiwi stressed the importance of providing international protection for the Palestinian people, refraining from targeting them, and fully adhering to international law, international humanitarian law, and relevant Security Council resolutions without exception.The United Nations, through the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), officially declared Gaza to be in a state of famine, amid the continued blockade and depletion of essential food and medical supplies.In a joint statement, the UN agencies confirmed that levels of acute malnutrition among children, pregnant women, and the elderly have reached catastrophic levels, warning that the humanitarian situation in the Strip threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands and could lead to a total collapse of the health and relief systems.The United Nations called on the international community to take immediate action to open safe humanitarian corridors and ensure the sustainable and urgent flow of aid to save lives and prevent the worsening of the disaster.The IPC, an international mechanism supported by the UN, reported that more than 514,000 people, about a quarter of Gaza’s population, are already living in famine conditions.It warned that the number could rise to 641,000 by the end of September, making it the first officially declared famine in the Middle East.The report indicated that northern Gaza, including Gaza City, is the most affected, with the disaster likely to extend to the governorates of Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis, where hunger and acute malnutrition indicators continue to reach critical levels.According to IPC standards, famine declaration depends on three key indicators: near-total food insecurity, high rates of acute malnutrition, and elevated mortality rates due to starvation. The UN confirmed that two of these indicators have already been surpassed, while evidence of the third is increasingly alarming.Field reports indicate that around 70,000 children under the age of five are in urgent need of specialised therapeutic food, while available aid reaches less than 5% of their needs. Cases of acute malnutrition among children in Gaza City have doubled in two months, reaching 16.5%.Commenting on the developments, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that what is happening in Gaza represents a man-made disaster and a failure of human conscience, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of safe and sustained humanitarian access to civilians.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk affirmed that deliberately starving civilians for military purposes constitutes a war crime, demanding accountability for those responsible for these grave violations.Tom Fletcher, Special Humanitarian Envoy, stated that the current famine could have been avoided had humanitarian aid not been repeatedly and deliberately obstructed.Relief agencies fear that the continuation of the crisis will lead to a complete collapse of Gaza’s health and humanitarian infrastructure, with hundreds of thousands of civilians lacking food, medicine, and clean drinking water, amid growing warnings of a sharp rise in deaths, especially among children and the elderly.

Market Eye The failed US-Russia talks and uncertainties around rate cut decision by the US Federal Reserve had their overarching influence on the Gulf bourses, including the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), which saw its key index plummet 306 points and capitalisation erode in excess of QR17bn this week. The foreign funds were seen squaring off their position as the 20-stock Qatar Index plunged 2.63% this week which saw the listed companies in the main market earn total net profit of QR26.68bn in the first half (H1) of 2025. The foreign individuals were seen net sellers this week which saw Al Faleh Educational Holding contemplate increasing the foreign ownership limit to 100% as part of efforts to attract additional investment, enhance market liquidity, and broaden the shareholder base. More than 77% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market this week which saw Qatar register a total of 51.7mn transactions valued at QR16.13bn through the country's payment system in July 2025. The Gulf institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence on the main bourse this week which saw a QNB Financial Services (QNBFS) study that said total assets of commercial banks in Qatar expanded by 2.8% month-on-month to QR2.125tn in June. The domestic institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity in the main market this week which saw Beema enter into a strategic partnership with PayLater; Qatar’s first Qatar Central Bank-licensed, Shariah-compliant ‘Buy Now, Pay Later provider’. However, the local retail investors were seen net buyers in the main bourse this week which saw a total of 0.07mn AlRayan Bank-sponsored exchange traded fund QATR worth QR0.02mn trade across 15 deals. The Arab individuals turned bullish in the main market this week which saw 0.05mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.06mn change hands across 14 transactions. The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the other indices of the main market this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds. Market capitalisation eroded QR17.12bn or 2.47% to QR675.72bn on the back of large and midcap segments this week which saw no trading of treasury bills. Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline in the main market; whereas the junior bourse saw substantially increased volumes and turnover this week which saw the consumer goods, realty and industrials sectors together constitute more than 76% of the total trade volumes. The Total Return Index tanked 2.31%, the All Islamic Index by 2.55% and the All Share Index by 2.23% this week. The telecom sector index plummeted 3.32%, banks and financial services (2.39%), real estate (2.39%), transport (2.06%), consumer goods (1.92%), industrials (1.8%) and insurance (0.82%) this week. The market was skewed towards shakers with as many 41 constituents declining, while 11 made gains and one was unchanged this week. Major losers in the main market included Mannai Corporation, Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution, Ooredoo, Qatar Electricity and Water, Qamco, QNB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, QIIB, AlRayan Bank, Dukhan Bank, Alijarah Holding, Qatar Oman Investment, Woqod, Baladna, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Qatari Investors Group, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Barwa and Milaha this week. Nevertheless, QLM, Qatar German Medical Devices, Medicare Group, Widam Food, Vodafone Qatar, Beema and Ezdan were among the movers in the main bourse. In the venture market, Techno Q saw its shares appreciate in value this week. The foreign institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR87.73mn compared with net buyers of QR130.78mn the previous week. The foreign individual investors were net profit takers to the extent of QR1.84mn against net buyers of QR1.02mn a week ago. The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened perceptibly to QR33.52mn compared to QR36.34mn the week ended August 14. However, the local individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR86.1mn against net sellers of QR70.65mn the previous week. The Arab retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR6.95mn compared with net sellers of QR8.57mn a week ago. The Gulf individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR4.54mn against net buyers of QR0.25mn the week ended August 14. The domestic funds’ net profit booking declined substantially to QR41.37mn compared to QR88.49mn the previous week. The Arab institutions’ net selling eased marginally to QR0.18mn against QR0.68mn a week ago. The main market saw 47% contraction in trade volumes to 771.17mn shares, 35% in value to QR1.8bn and 13% in deals to 101,437 this week. In the venture market, trade volumes more than tripled to 1.65mn equities and value also more than tripled to QR4.53mn on more than quadrupled transactions to 367.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia voiced grave concern following the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report and the official declaration of famine in the Gaza Strip.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it described as acts of genocide committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless civilians.In an official statement, the ministry affirmed that the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is a direct result of the absence of deterrent and accountability mechanisms for the repeated crimes of the Israeli occupation.The statement added that it will remain a stain on the conscience of the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, unless they act immediately to end the famine, halt the genocide, and stop the crimes committed against the brotherly Palestinian people.

A Palestinian infant died today from hunger and malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, raising the total number of victims of famine and malnutrition to 272, including 113 children.A medical source reported that the baby passed away due to complications from starvation, with hospitals unable to provide the necessary care because of severe shortages of food and medicine.The child’s mother is also suffering from malnutrition. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to spread and worsen as Israel maintains its blockade on all Gaza crossings, preventing the flow of food and medical supplies.The extreme famine is unfolding alongside the ongoing war of extermination waged against the people of Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had previously warned of the consequences of widespread malnutrition among children under five, noting that the number of cases doubled between March and June due to the ongoing blockade.The World Health Organization (WHO) has also confirmed that malnutrition levels in Gaza have reached catastrophic levels as a result of Israeli practices and delays in the entry of humanitarian aid.

One person was killed on Friday in a new Israeli drone strike targeting southern Lebanon. According to the Emergency Health Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, the victim was struck by an Israeli drone in the town of Aita Al Shaab, located in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon.A ceasefire agreement came into effect on Nov. 27, mandating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from border villages in southern Lebanon within 60 days.The Beirut government later extended this deadline to February 18. However, Israeli forces have remained in five strategic locations and continue to violate the ceasefire, with over 3,000 breaches reported since its implementation, according to official Lebanese sources.

David Stout with Robin Millard in Geneva and Alice Ritchie in Rome The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming "systematic obstruction of aid" by Israel, hours after Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy the territory's largest city.Israel denied there was a famine, the Rome-based IPC, a body of UN-backed experts, said in a new report that famine was affecting 500,000 people in the Gaza governorate, which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory including Gaza City.Israel this week doubled down on plans to launch a new offensive to capture the city, despite an international outcry, The IPC projected that the famine would expand to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by the end of September, covering around two-thirds of Gaza.With the vast majority of the territory's population displaced at least once, the UN estimated that nearly a million people currently live in Gaza governorate,The Israeli defence ministry body which oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, also rejected the report, saying previous editions had "proven inaccurate".UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory "because of systematic obstruction by Israel".UN human rights chief Volker Turk said it was "a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare" and said it "may also amount to the war crime of wilful killing".UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire, saying: "We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity"."After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death," the IPC report said.By the end of September, it expected 614,000 people to be facing the same conditions.It said the deterioration between July and August was the most severe since it began analysing hunger in Gaza, driven by a sharp escalation in the war and restrictions on supplies.In early March, Israel completely banned aid from Gaza for two months, leading to severe shortages of food, medicines and fuel.Speaking in Geneva, the UN's Fletcher said the famine should "haunt us all".Um Ibrahim Younes, a 43-year-old mother of four living in the remains of her destroyed home in Gaza City, said: "It feels like we are in hell. I'm going insane. I cannot imagine being displaced again."Nivin Ahmed, a 47-year-old mother of five living in a tent west of Gaza City said: "The bombardment intensifies every day, the explosions never stop. We wait for death -- we have come to wish for it."Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,192 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

At least 13 Palestinians were martyred and several others were injured on Friday as Israeli occupation forces continued heavy bombardment of Gaza City.According to the Palestinian news agency (WAFA), five members of the same family were martyred and others were injured when an Israeli airstrike struck a displacement tent on Jalaa Street in central Gaza City.At the same time, Israeli shelling hit a school-turned-shelter in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, killing five civilians and injuring several others.Elsewhere, Israeli artillery targeted the Abu Iskandar neighborhood in northern Gaza City, as well as the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods in the south, resulting in additional casualties.Since August 11, Israeli occupation forces have been carrying out a massive assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, involving the demolition of homes with booby-trapped robots, heavy artillery shelling, indiscriminate gunfire, and mass displacement. Palestinian officials say the offensive is part of an Israeli plan to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.

The United Nations announced that the number of Palestinians displaced in Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression has exceeded 796,000 people since mid-March.UN Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Daniela Gross said in a press statement that forced displacement has continued to rise amid ongoing Israeli attacks, with nearly 17,000 new displacements recorded between August 12 and 20. This brings the total number of people uprooted since mid-March to more than 796,000.Gross added that 95% of these forced displacements have occurred in Gaza City, where residents have fled from the eastern neighborhoods toward the south and west to escape intensified Israeli bombardments.Since August 11, Israeli forces have launched a large-scale offensive on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City. The assault has included the demolition of homes using booby-trapped robots, heavy artillery shelling, indiscriminate gunfire, and mass displacement - part of what Palestinian officials describe as an Israeli plan to gradually reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had earlier warned on July 20 that 88% of the Gaza Strip's total area of about 360 square kilometers- home to roughly 2.3 million Palestinians had been placed under Israeli evacuation orders, effectively mandating the forced displacement of civilians.Since October 2023, the Israeli occupation has waged a relentless assault on the Gaza Strip, defying repeated international appeals and binding rulings by the International Court of Justice to cease its military operations.According to official Palestinian sources, the aggression has so far claimed the lives of 62,192 people, left 157,114 injured, the majority women and children and more than 9,000 missing beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Hundreds of thousands remain displaced, while a worsening famine has already claimed 271 lives, including 112 children.

The Gaza civil defence agency said at least 48 people were killed Thursday by Israeli strikes in the Palestinian territory, including several killed in an air strike in Gaza City ahead of a major offensive to capture the area.According to civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, at least eight people were killed by an air strike in the Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City.Sabra and the nearby Zeitoun district, have been hit hard in recent days by shelling and air strikes, according to residents.The civil defence agency also provided details for strikes on several areas across the strip, including the al-Manasra camp in central Gaza, an aid centre in Khan Yunis in the south of the territory, and other points in the north around Gaza City.When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific timeframes to comment on the reports.An AFP journalist at Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital saw several bodies brought to the grounds of the facility after being killed by Israeli strikes.Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, 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."We are advancing with the efforts toward operations in Gaza City," military chief Eyal Zamir told troops Thursday."We already have troops operating on the outskirts of the city, and more forces will join them later on."Israel's plans to expand the fighting and seize Gaza City have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition, with the Red Cross joining the condemnation Thursday, calling the moves "intolerable".Ahead of the offensive, the Israeli military said the call-up of the reservists would begin in early September, adding the second phase of operation "Gideon's Chariots" had begun.Gaza City residents described relentless bombardments overnight."The house shakes with us all night long -- the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us," Ahmad al-Shanti told AFP."The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?"Another resident, Amal Abdel-Aal, said she watched the heavy strikes on the area, a week after being displaced from her home in Gaza City's Al-Sabra neighbourhood."No one in Gaza has slept — not last night, not for a week. The artillery and air strikes in the east never stop. The sky flashes all night long," she added.Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said air strikes and artillery fire overnight targeted areas to the northwest and southeast of the city.A group of AFP journalists near Israel's border with Gaza also witnessed an air strike by a fighter jet on the northern outskirts of Gaza City Thursday afternoon, with a massive explosion followed by a large plume of smoke rising into the sky.Several sporadic explosions were heard afterward but it was not possible to determine their origin.Strikes increased in pace later in the afternoon with several large explosions heard near the border.The UN humanitarian agency has warned the Israeli plan to expand military operations in Gaza City would have "a horrific humanitarian impact" on the already exhausted population."Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer," OCHA said.Others reportedly "remain trapped, completely cut off from food, water and medicine supplies", it added.The Israeli military said this week it had also begun informing medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans and transferring their equipment to the south.The Gaza health ministry, however, rejected that call Thursday, saying it would not agree to "any step that would undermine what remains of the health system after the systematic destruction carried out by the occupation authorities".As Israel tightened its grip on Gaza City's outskirts, mediators were still waiting for an official Israeli reaction to their latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas accepted earlier this week.Israel and Hamas have held indirect negotiations throughout the nearly two-year conflict, paving the way for a pair of short ceasefires during which Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP this week that the latest ceasefire proposal calls for the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining hostages would be released in a second phase alongside talks for a wider settlement.Israel, however, has insisted that any agreement involve freeing all the remaining hostages at once.Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.