Israeli military bombards Gaza City as offensive plan continues
The Israeli military has pounded parts of Gaza City with planes and tanks today as it continues its plan to take full control of the area.
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Earlier this month, Israel outlined plans to fully occupy Gaza City, which has nearly a million Palestinians living in it.
According to reports on the ground, Sunday saw “uninterrupted explosions” in the northern and eastern parts of the city.
Sixty-four people were killed, while a further 300 were injured, in Israeli attacks on the city over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Read more: At least 25 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in wake of Gaza City famine
The IDF insists attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp will allow it to dismantle the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza.
"The troops' activity enables the expansion of the fighting to additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning and operating in these areas," the IDF said.
Today’s strikes bring the death toll of Israel’s assault on Gaza to 62,686, with another 157,951 injured.
Israel launched its assault in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attack, where around 1,200 people were killed.
On Friday, the international body responsible for monitoring world hunger formally, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), officially stated that famine is taking place in the “Gaza Governorate”.
The area includes Gaza City, which is home to around 500,000 people, surrounding towns and various refugee camps.
British foreign secretary David Lammy described the situation in Gaza as a “moral outrage” as he slammed Israel’s refusal to allow aid into the besieged city.
Lammy called on the Israeli government to "immediately act to stop the situation deteriorating any further"
He described famine in Gaza City as "utterly horrifying and is wholly preventable".
"The Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe. This is a moral outrage," he added
"The IPC report makes clear the sickening consequences, especially for children. The Government of Israel can and must immediately act to stop the situation deteriorating any further."
He called for an "immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas, which has long been the position of the British government.
"This includes halting the military operation in Gaza City, which is the epicentre of the famine," he added.
The IPC is a globally recognised system for determining the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition and has been used to declare just four famines since being created in 2004.
Rejecting the findings of the UN-backed report, Israel refuted the existence of a famine in Gaza and claimed it was "Hamas lies".
It has also said Gaza will be destroyed if Hamas does not agree to disarm and release all hostages.
Taking to X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added: “The IPC report is an outright lie.
“Israel does not have a policy of starvation. Israel has a policy of preventing starvation.
“Since the beginning of the war Israel has enabled 2 million tons of aid to enter the Gaza Strip, over one ton of aid per person.”