The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said famine is happening in Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

"An entire population is being pushed into starvation, destitution, and death,” said Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister.

Famine has been determined in Gaza Governorate, where Gaza City is located, according to a warning issued Friday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

Famine is now occurring in Gaza City, according to the world’s leading authority on food crises. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released an analysis saying more than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine,

The IPC has been warning for months now that Gaza was on the brink of famine. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net), an analysis body set up by the US Agency for International Development, assessed that famine conditions were “possible, if not likely” as far back as May 2024.

David Lammy has condemned the famine in Gaza as “utterly horrifying” and a “man-made catastrophe” caused by Israel.

A mother has told the BBC her five-year-old daughter has lost almost half of her body weight due to the famine in Gaza City. Lamia Hijjeh, whose family has been displaced several times during the war, has lost 8.5kg and cannot walk, according to her mother Rida.