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Israel-Gaza war
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Over 60,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza as famine alert predicts ‘widespread death’

The leading authority on food crises said Gaza faces a ‘worst-case scenario’ of famine, citing an ‘alarming, deadly turning point’

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Palestinian child Yazan Abu Foul, aged two, is cared for by his mother Naima, as he suffers from severe malnutrition due to the acute shortage of food in the Gaza Strip. Photo: EPA
Associated Press
The “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” the leading international authority on food crises said in a new alert on Tuesday, predicting “widespread death” without immediate action.

The warning comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-month war with Israel.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said the death toll has climbed to 60,034, with another 145,870 people wounded since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.

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Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90 per cent of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

The alert, still short of a formal famine declaration, follows an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths. The international pressure led Israel over the weekend to announce measures, including daily humanitarian pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza and airdrops. The United Nations and Palestinians on the ground say little has changed, and desperate crowds continue to overwhelm and unload delivery trucks before they can reach their destinations.
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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), said Gaza had teetered on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments had “dramatically worsened” the situation, including “increasingly stringent blockades” by Israel.

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