A United Nations-backed assessment issued on 22 August by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed that famine has taken hold in Gaza City, warning that 514,000 people—almost a quarter of Gaza’s population—are already facing starvation and that the number could climb to 641,000 by the end of next month. The report, which labels the crisis “entirely man-made”, highlights acute risks for 132,000 children under five and predicts a rapid spread of famine southward unless large-scale aid deliveries resume. Medical and humanitarian agencies report a deepening emergency. UNICEF described “a real child-survival crisis”, while the director of the children’s hospital at Nasser Medical Complex said tens of thousands of displaced youngsters are malnourished and that “ten hospitals” would be needed to cope. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 61 Palestinians were killed and 308 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the war’s toll to 62,622 dead and 157,673 wounded since 7 October 2023. UNRWA added that its warehouses in Jordan and Egypt are stocked with enough food, medicine and hygiene supplies to load 6,000 trucks if safe corridors open. Israel rejected the IPC findings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the famine declaration “an outright lie”, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel accused the United Nations of incompetence. Conversely, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation a “moral indictment”, and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy blamed Israel’s continuing restrictions for what he termed a “moral outrage”. Even as international pressure mounts for a cease-fire and unrestricted aid access, Israel is preparing to widen its military campaign. Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Netanyahu have approved plans to seize and occupy Gaza City, warning that “the gates of hell will open” if Hamas does not capitulate. Israeli strikes on Friday hit Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City’s Sabra and Zeitoun districts, with local and international monitors citing 35–61 fatalities. UN agencies cautioned that an expanded ground offensive would further imperil more than one million civilians already on the brink of starvation.