The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming “systematic obstruction of aid” by Israel, hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy the territory’s largest city.
Israel angrily denied there was a famine, with the Foreign Ministry saying the report was “based on Hamas lies laundered through organizations with vested interests.”
The famine was declared by experts at the Rome-based IPC, who said it affected 500,000 people in the Gaza governorate, which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory including Gaza City.