Israeli forces are intensifying their military buildup ahead of a planned Gaza City assault. Defence Minister Israel Katz has authorised calling up approximately 60,000 reservists for the operation, despite mounting international pressure to end the campaign in the Palestinian territory. The military has declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” and warns that civilian evacuation is “inevitable”. The United Nations estimates nearly one million people remain in the city and its surroundings.
Famine Declared as Starvation Deaths Rise
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has declared a full-blown famine in parts of Gaza, the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside Africa. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 361 hunger-related deaths since the war began, including 130 children. In August alone, 185 people died of malnutrition.
Thirteen more people, including three children, have starved to death in the past 24 hours. UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the crisis “a man-made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself”.
Civilian Casualties Mount Amid Gaza City Assault
Palestinian health authorities report at least 73 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn today, 42 of them in Gaza City. Recent strikes have hit residential buildings, shelters and people queueing for aid; on Saturday, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians seeking food. The UN human rights office records 54 attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City since 8 August, killing 87 people, including at least 25 children.
“Impossible” Evacuation Conditions
The International Committee of the Red Cross warns that evacuating Gaza City is “not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances”. ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said: “It is impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could ever be done in a safe and dignified manner under the current conditions.” Most residents have been displaced multiple times as shelter, healthcare and nutrition systems collapse during the Gaza City assault.
International Condemnation Grows
Belgium recently joined Australia, Canada and France in announcing it will recognise the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly this month. UN human rights chief Volker Türk says the famine is the “direct result” of Israeli government policies, noting: “It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare.” The International Association of Genocide Scholars, a 500-member body of academics, passed a resolution stating that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide.
Israel’s Long-Term Plans for Gaza
Israeli officials have outlined plans to relocate Gaza’s population to a “humanitarian city” in Rafah near the Egyptian border. Critics say this would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law. Defence Minister Katz said Palestinians would not be able to leave once inside the zone. He expressed hope that an “emigration plan” would encourage people to leave Gaza entirely.
