Gaza starvation is real and it is happening now, UN World Food Programme says – Middle East crisis live

Cindy McCain said she had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about allowing more food into the strip

Israel rejected the findings of the report, saying they were based on “Hamas lies laundered through organisations with vested interests”, and denied the existence of a famine in Gaza.

We mentioned the findings of the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in our opening post.

The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. 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.