Famine has struck an area of Gaza and will likely spread over the next month, a global hunger monitor has warned.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system said 514,000 people - nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - are experiencing famine, and that was due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
Some 280,000 of those people are in a northern region covering Gaza City - known as Gaza governorate - which the IPC said was in famine, its first such determination in the enclave.
It comes as Israel’s defence minister warned that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms for a ceasefire, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area.
“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Katz wrote on X.
It comes as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year war, but on terms acceptable to Israel.
Key Points
- Famine confirmed in Gaza, UN-backed agency says
- Israel threatens to ‘open gates of hell’ on Gaza City
- Netanyahu's office says Israel will dispatch a team for negotiations
- Israel has taken its first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City
- Thousands of Palestinians flee intense assault on Gaza City
Indonesia’s plan to treat 2,000 injured Gazans on an uninhabited island faces scrutiny
13:45 , Alex CroftIndonesia is said to be finalising the details of a plan to provide medical evacuations for 2,000 injured Palestinians from Gaza, potentially on the uninhabited Galang Island.
The government is now holding inter-ministerial discussions on logistics, legal frameworks, and foreign policy implications, according to a senior government official.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Indonesia would provide the treatment, but without further details. “Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris,” spokesperson Hasan Nasbi told reporters earlier, insisting the exercise did not amount to an evacuation.
Maroosha Muzaffar reports:
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Indonesia’s plan to treat 2000 injured Gazans on an uninhabited island faces scrutiny
ICYMI - Israel threatens to ‘open gates of hell’ on Gaza City
13:03 , Alex CroftIsrael’s defence minister has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area.
Israel Katz warned that the enclave’s largest city could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war.
“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Katz wrote on X.
He restated Israel’s cease-fire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas’ complete disarmament.
Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.
Watch: Gaza famine caused by Israel's obstruction of aid, says UN Aid Chief
12:45 , Alex CroftPhotos show Palestinians struggling for food as famine grips Gaza's largest city
12:24 , Alex Croft
Photos show Palestinians struggling for food as famine grips Gaza's largest city
UK joins calls for Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza
12:08 , Alex CroftThe UK has called on Israel to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza as Tel Aviv ramps up its offensive.
In a statement alongside 25 other members of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK urged Israel to “allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza”.
Foreign media have been banned from entering Gaza since October 2023, other than for brief, tightly controlled trips escorted by the Israeli military. Many Palestinian journalists in the region have been killed.
Here’s what coalition said:
Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Access to conflict zones is vital to carrying out this role effectively.
We oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts.
We also strongly condemn all violence directed against journalists and media workers, especially the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions.
In pictures: Hungry Gazan children queue for food
12:04 , Alex Croft
At least 17 killed in airstrikes on Friday so far
11:43 , Alex CroftGaza City's Shifa Hospital said at least 17 Palestinians were killed Friday as Israel escalates its activity in the area in the lead-up to its broader planned offensive.
An Israeli airstrike hit a school in Sheikh Radwan, a Gaza City neighborhood where tens of Palestinians shelter in makeshift tents in the schoolyard. It killed at least seven people, according to an eyewitness and hospital records.
Israel's military said they weren't aware of a strike in the area.
The strike is part of Israel's ongoing push in Gaza City, where the military says it is operating and witnesses have reported intense bombardment in the days since Israel approved its plans to take the city.
Amal Aboul Aas, who is now sheltering in Gaza City after being displaced four times, said the explosions were so intense he couldn't sleep, yet he couldn't leave either.
"We do not have the money, the resources, or the energy to evacuate again. I just wish for a quick death right where I am here because I am not going anywhere. Eventually one of these missiles will hit me," he told AP.
How is a famine is determined?
11:27 , Alex CroftFormal famine determinations are rare. The IPC has previously determined famines in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and parts of Sudan's western Darfur region last year.
The IPC says a famine exists in an area when all three of the following conditions are confirmed:
At least 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving. At least 30% of children 6 months to 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they're too thin for their height. And at least two people, or four children under 5, per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.
Israel's offensive and its restrictions on access to Gaza have made collecting data difficult.
The data analyzed between July 1 and Aug. 15 showed clear evidence that thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition have been reached. Gathering data for mortality has been harder, but the IPC said it is reasonable to conclude from the evidence that the necessary threshold has likely been reached.
The IPC warned that a third of Gaza's population could face catastrophic levels of hunger by the end of September, and that this is probably an undercount.
Deaths from starvation in Gaza may amount to war crime, UN rights chief says
10:31 , Jabed AhmedThe UN human rights chief said that the emergence of famine in northern Gaza is the "direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government" and said that deaths from starvation might amount to a war crime.
"The famine declared today in Gaza Governorate by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government," Volker Turk said in a statement to reporters, referring to a report by a global hunger monitor.
"It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare, and the resulting deaths may also amount to the war crime of willful killing," he added.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, accused Hamas of a "false starvation campaign" and said the U.N. and others were spreading unfounded claims about hunger in Gaza.
UN secretary general: Gaza famine is a man-made disaster
10:22 , Jabed AhmedUN secretary general Antonio Guterres has said that the famine is Gaza is a man-made disater.
In a post on X, he said: “Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: ‘famine’.”
“This is not a mystery — it is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself.
“Famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival. People are starving. Children are dying. And those with the duty to act are failing.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law — including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population. We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.
“No more excuses. The time for action is not tomorrow — it is now. We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and full, unfettered humanitarian access.”
Israeli ministry of foreign affairs says there is no famine in Gaza
10:17 , Jabed AhmedIsrael’s foreign ministry said there is no famine in Gaza, responding to a report from a global hunger monitor that said famine had struck an area of Gaza and would likely spread over the next month.
“Over 100,000 trucks of aid have entered Gaza since the start of the war, and in recent weeks a massive influx of aid has flooded the Strip with staple foods and caused a sharp decline in food prices, which have plummeted in the markets,” the Israeli ministry said in a statement.
Live: Famine declared in Gaza for first time
10:12 , Jabed AhmedUN aid chief calls Gaza famine preventable, blames Israel's obstruction of aid
10:04 , Jabed AhmedThe United Nations aid chief said that the famine that has struck part of Gaza was preventable, blaming the "systematic obstruction" of aid by Israel and demanding that Benjamin Netanyahu let supplies in on a massive scale.
"It is a famine that we could have prevented if we had been allowed, yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel," UN Emergency Coordinator Tom Fletcher told reporters in Geneva.
"Let us get food and other supplies in unimpeded and at the massive scale required. End the retribution," he added in comments directed at Netanyahu.
Breaking: Famine confirmed in Gaza, UN-backed agency says
10:01 , Jabed AhmedFamine has struck an area of Gaza and will likely spread over the next month, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system said 514,000 people - nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - are experiencing famine and that was due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
Some 280,000 of those people are in a northern region covering Gaza City - known as Gaza governorate - which the IPC said was in famine, its first such determination in the enclave. The rest are in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis - central and southern areas that the IPC projected would be in famine by the end of next month.
For a region to be classified as in famine at least 20% of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
Even if a region has not yet been classified as in famine because those thresholds have not been met, the IPC can determine that households there are suffering famine conditions, which it describes as starvation, destitution and death.
Charities condemn ‘engineered famine’ in Gaza
09:59 , Jabed AhmedAid groups have reacted with fury to reports that famine has been confirmed in Gaza.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the UN-backed global hunger monitor, is expected to release a report on Friday confirming famine in the Gaza Governorate.
Aahra Ghazi, co-CEO of ActionAid UK, said the catastrophe was “an entirely engineered famine and the direct result of the Israeli authorities’ deliberate blocking of food, water and other humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
“It is utterly shameful that, for so many months, the Israeli authorities have used starvation as a weapon of war with impunity: now we are seeing the calamitous consequences play out,” she said.
Ms Ghazi warned that the assault on Gaza City would “forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of people and severely disrupt humanitarian operations at a time when they are needed more than ever.”
Doctors on the ground also warned of catastrophic risks for infants. Dr Ra’ed Al-Baba, who works at Al Awda Hospital, said mothers were using legume water and herbs as substitutes for baby formula, with cases of gastroenteritis, food poisoning and severe anaemia now appearing.
“This is not survival,” he said. “This is slow death.”
Recap | Netanyahu signals openness to hostage talks but vows to press on with Gaza City offensive
09:31 , Jabed AhmedPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will immediately resume negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza, while pressing ahead with plans to capture Gaza City.
Speaking to soldiers near the border, he confirmed Israel would send negotiators once a location is set but insisted any deal must be “on terms acceptable to Israel.”
His comments came in response to a temporary ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar that Hamas accepted earlier this week. The deal calls for a 60-day truce, the release of 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Despite mounting international pressure, Mr Netanyahu said he was committed to the government’s plan to defeat Hamas and seize Gaza City, which was approved earlier this month by the security cabinet.
Comment | Whatever Gaza’s future, 7 October was the beginning of Netanyahu’s end
08:59 , Jabed Ahmed
Whatever Gaza’s future, 7 October was the beginning of Netanyahu’s end
Full report | UN-backed body to formally declare famine in Gaza despite Israeli denials
08:36 , Jabed AhmedMy colleague Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:
UN-backed body to formally declare famine in Gaza despite Israeli denials
Israel threatens to ‘open gates of hell’ on Gaza City
08:17 , Jabed AhmedIsrael’s defence minister has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area.
Israel Katz warned that the enclave’s largest city could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war.
“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Katz wrote on X.
He restated Israel’s cease-fire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas’ complete disarmament.
Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.
UN-backed group to officially declare famine in Gaza
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe hunger crisis in Gaza is at a tipping point, with critically low supplies of fortified milk and special nutritious pastes exacerbating food shortages and pushing greater numbers of children into starvation, according to aid agencies, malnutrition experts and the UN.
A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the main global hunger monitor working with the UN and other aid agencies, is due today. In an interim statement released in late July, the group said famine was "playing out" in Gaza.
After a global outcry at Israel severely restricting aid from March, its military began allowing more food into Gaza in late July.
But volumes are too small and distribution too chaotic to stop more people becoming malnourished, while those who are already starving or vulnerable are not getting life-saving supplements, three hunger experts and aid workers from six agencies told Reuters.
According to figures from Gaza's Health Ministry, verified by the World Health Organisation, deaths from malnutrition and starvation are spiking.
In the 22 months following the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas, 89 fatalities were attributed to malnutrition or starvation, mostly children under 18. In just the first 20 days of August, there were 133 deaths, including 25 under 18s, the ministry said on Wednesday.
"We are seeing the worst possible humanitarian catastrophe that we can even measure," said Jeanette Bailey, a child nutrition lead at the International Rescue Committee, a New York-based aid organisation.
There are "going to be a lot more children dying, a lot more pregnant and lactating women suffering from malnutrition."
Israel does not accept there is widespread malnutrition among Palestinians in Gaza and disputes the hunger fatality figures given by the health ministry of Gaza's Hamas-run government, arguing that the deaths were due to other medical causes.
Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThousands of Palestinians have fled their homes in Gaza City, as the Israeli military continues its assault on the enclave ahead of a planned occupation.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would give final approval for a full takeover, while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all of Israel's remaining hostages.
The widening of the 22-month offensive against Hamas appears to be proceeding despite protests in both Israel and the Palestinian enclave. Israeli strikes killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.
A renewed offensive could bring even more casualties to and displacement from the territory, where the war has already killed tens of thousands and where experts warn of imminent famine.
More here.
Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians flee ahead of occupation
In pics: IDF soldiers prepare tanks near the Gaza Strip's northern borders
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli envoy slams Lammy
06:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIsrael’s envoy to the UK has slammed foreign secretary David Lammy over his criticism of a controversial new Israeli settlement plan.“I wouldn’t tell the British where to build in London,” Tzipi Hotovely told the Daily Mail.
“We see E1 as part of greater Jerusalem,” she claimed, referring to the construction project.
The British Foreign Office had summoned the Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over Israel's approval of a major settlement in Palestine’s West Bank.
The move follows Israel’s decision to go ahead with the E1 settlement east of Jerusalem, which would effectively cut the West Bank in two.
In a joint statement on yesterday, foreign ministers from the UK, EU and 20 other countries called on Tel Aviv to reverse the decision, saying it would bring “no benefits to the Israeli people” and “risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability”.
UK joins calls for Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza
06:12 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe UK has called on Israel to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza as Tel Aviv prepares to step up military operations in the territory.
In a statement alongside 25 other members of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK urged Israel to “allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza”.
The coalition said: “Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Access to conflict zones is vital to carrying out this role effectively.”
More here.
UK joins calls for Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza
Netanyahu's office says Israel will dispatch a team for negotiations
05:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, in a statement, said Israel will dispatch a delegation to hold talks for securing the release of hostages once the location for negotiations is determined.
It’s not clear whether Mr Netanyahu’s statement was coordinated with any of the Arab mediators who are currently waiting for Israel to respond to their phased hostage release proposal, according to Times of Israel.
It appeared to mark Israel's first public response to the latest ceasefire proposal drawn up by Egypt and Qatar. Egyptian and Hamas officials say it is almost identical to an earlier one that Israel accepted before the talks stalled last month.
Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to the ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators, which could forestall the offensive, if agreed by Israel.
The proposal would include the release of some of the hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a pullback of Israeli forces and negotiations over a more lasting ceasefire.
In pics: Protests across occupied West Bank and Israel
05:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Protests in Israel and Gaza
05:15 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarHundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City against Israel's war and Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to support the mass relocation of Palestinians to other countries.
Women and children held placards reading "Save Gaza" and "Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us," against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas.
"We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months — it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction," said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City.
In Israel, protesters marched yesterday in Tel Aviv holding banners that read "The people will bring back the hostages" and "How much blood will be spilled?"
Among the demonstrators was Dudu Dotan, who said Mr Netanyahu is endangering the remaining hostages by moving forward with the planned Gaza City offensive.
Of the 50 still being held in Gaza, Israel believes about 20 hostages are still alive."This way will not bring the hostages back,"
Mr Dotan said. "Every hostage he brought back, he brought back through deals. And every time he tried to bring them back with military force, he caused the hostages to be killed."
Gaza City operation could 'begin in days'
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarDuring a visit to the military's Gaza command in southern Israel, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would approve the army's plans to retake Gaza City and had instructed officials "to begin immediate negotiations" for the release of all hostages.
"These two things — defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages — go hand in hand," he said.
Mr Netanyahu yesterday claimed he will give final approval for the takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all the remaining hostages.
His approval was expected during a meeting with senior security officials late last night, but no decision was announced before midnight in Jerusalem.
Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators, which — if accepted by Israel — could forestall the offensive.
Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians face stark choice: ‘Die here or leave and die somewhere else’
04:45 , Tom WatlingIsrael ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians flee ahead of occupation
Gaza City student prepares to say goodbye to her home as Israel issues evacuation order
04:30 , Tom Watling
Gaza City student prepares to say goodbye to home as Israel issues evacuation order
Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages
04:15 , Tom WatlingPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel will begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year-old war on terms acceptable to Israel.
Speaking to soldiers serving in Gaza, Netanyahu said he was meeting commanders to approve plans for capturing Gaza City and defeating Hamas.
"At the same time I have issued instructions to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said, adding: "We are in the decision-making phase."
The Israeli military maintained its pressure on Gaza City into Thursday.
On Wednesday, the military called up 60,000 reservists in a sign that the government was pressing ahead with the plan, despite international condemnation.
Calling up tens of thousands of reservists is likely to take weeks, giving time for mediators to attempt to bridge gaps over a new temporary ceasefire proposal that Hamas has accepted, but the Israeli government has yet to officially respond to.
The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas militants and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Israeli government has stated that all of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive.
Whatever Gaza’s future, 7 October was the beginning of Netanyahu’s end
04:00 , Tom WatlingWhatever Gaza’s future, 7 October was the beginning of Netanyahu’s end
Palestinian factions begin handing over weapons at Beirut refugee camp
03:02 , Tom Watling
Palestinian factions begin handing over weapons at Beirut refugee camp
Israel’s Gaza City invasion: What is Netanyahu’s plan and what happens next as new assault launched
02:00 , Tom Watling
Israel’s invasion of Gaza City: What does it mean and what happens next?
Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians face stark choice: ‘Die here or leave and die somewhere else’
01:01 , Tom WatlingIsrael ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians flee ahead of occupation
Pictures: aftermath of Israeli strike on tent camp in Deir Al-Balah
Friday 22 August 2025 00:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Around 5 out of 6 Palestinians killed in Gaza were civilians, a leaked Israeli intelligence data base suggests
Thursday 21 August 2025 23:28 , Tom WatlingFigures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database claim that five out of six Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of the war have been civilians.
A joint investigation by the Guardian and local media claimed that as of May, 19 months into the war, Israeli intelligence had identified 8,900 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters as dead or “probably dead.” At that point, Gaza’s health ministry reported 53,000 Palestinians killed in total.
The figures indicate that only 17 per cent of those killed were fighters, meaning civilians made up around 83 per cent of the dead. That ratio is far higher than in most recent wars, including those in Syria and Sudan, both of which were marked by widespread atrocities.
According to data compiled by Uppsala Conflict Data Program, which has tracked civilian casualties worldwide since 1989, the extent of deaths makes Gaza the fourth most deadly conflict for civilians in modern history.
Israel has disputed these figures in the investigation.
UN-backed group to declare famine in Gaza on Friday
Thursday 21 August 2025 23:20 , Tom WatlingA United Nations-backed hunger monitor is poised to declare famine in Gaza for the first time, a step it has taken only four times in nearly two decades.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has never before flagged famine in Gaza, but its latest analysis warns conditions have reached “worst-case scenario” levels. According to the Telegraph, the official declaration will be made tomorrow. The group warned in July that famine in Gaza was imminent.
The declaration will cover Gaza City and three surrounding towns, as well as several refugee camps, according to a briefing.
The famine is projected to extend to Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.
“After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions, characterised by starvation, destitution and death,” says the IPC briefing.
On the ground: medical aid staff describe relentless shelling
Thursday 21 August 2025 23:00 , Steffie BanatvalaEarlier we reported that Ard El Insan (AEI) was forced to close its medical point after relentless Israeli attack.
Shireen Halasa, who worked at the medical point, said: “It was a terrifying night. The shelling did not stop for a single moment.
“My heart almost stopped. We were treating around 100 children daily…many suffering from severe malnutrition, but we were forced to close while running for our lives.”
Medical Aid for Palestinians warns of imminent health catastrophe in Gaza City
Thursday 21 August 2025 22:00 , Steffie BanatvalaMedical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has warned of an even greater health and humanitarian catastrophe as Israel intensifies its military assault on Gaza City, forcing the closure of lifesaving health services and triggering a new wave of mass forced displacement.
One of its local partners was forced to shut down its medical point in Gaza City on 19 August after a night of relentless Israeli shelling and airstrikes.
If you're just joining us:
Thursday 21 August 2025 21:00 , Steffie Banatvala- Israel has taken its first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City
- In response Hamas accused Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the ceasefire deal
- IDF warned medics and residents to move ahead of 'full evacuation', according to a spokesperson
- Thousands of Palestinians fled the intense assault on Gaza City
- Only 250 of expected 1,800 aid trucks entered Gaza over past 3 days, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry
- UNRWA chief warned malnourished children may die during the Gaza City operation
- The UK joined calls for Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza
- Hostage families call for protest to end war this evening in Tel Aviv
Watch: Huge explosion in Gaza as Israeli military launch next stage of ground offensive
Thursday 21 August 2025 20:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Huge explosion in Gaza as Israeli military launch next stage of ground offensive
Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages
Thursday 21 August 2025 19:38 , Tom WatlingPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel will begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year-old war on terms acceptable to Israel.
Speaking to soldiers serving in Gaza, Netanyahu said he was meeting commanders to approve plans for capturing Gaza City and defeating Hamas.
"At the same time I have issued instructions to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said, adding: "We are in the decision-making phase."
The Israeli military maintained its pressure on Gaza City into Thursday.
On Wednesday, the military called up 60,000 reservists in a sign that the government was pressing ahead with the plan, despite international condemnation.
Calling up tens of thousands of reservists is likely to take weeks, giving time for mediators to attempt to bridge gaps over a new temporary ceasefire proposal that Hamas has accepted, but the Israeli government has yet to officially respond to.
The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas militants and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Israeli government has stated that all of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive.
Explained: What is Netanyahu’s plan and what happens next as new assault launched
Thursday 21 August 2025 19:00 , Steffie BanatvalaIsrael’s invasion of Gaza City: What does it mean and what happens next?
Israelis hold protests as new offensive in Gaza nears
Thursday 21 August 2025 18:50 , Tom WatlingFamilies of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza have gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation and lead protests.
Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive.
Gaza City student prepares to say goodbye to her home as Israel issues evacuation order
Thursday 21 August 2025 18:36 , Tom WatlingGaza City student prepares to say goodbye to home as Israel issues evacuation order
Israeli authorities starving Palestinians of water in Gaza: MSF
Thursday 21 August 2025 18:00 , Steffie BanatvalaDoctors Without Borders (MSF) has said Israeli is deliberately depriving Palestinians of water as part of a “genocidal campaign”.
“Organisations like MSF would be able to increase the amount of safe water in the Strip, however, Israel is blocking imports of critical water treatment items,” it added.
“Since June 2024, for every 10 import requests of items for water desalination, MSF has had only one approved.
“The reduction of clean water in Gaza has resulted in an increase of disease, with MSF medical teams conducting over 1,000 consultations for acute watery diarrhoea a week for the past month.
“Without sufficient water for hygiene, people have been suffering from skin conditions, such as scabies.
“Humanitarian organisations are willing to repair the damaged pipes and plants of the water infrastructure that existed before October 2023, but Israel has repeatedly hindered these efforts by denying access to these sites.”
Photos: aftermath of Israeli strike at a camp for internally displaced people in Deir el-Balah
Thursday 21 August 2025 17:00 , Steffie Banatvala
UK summons Israeli Ambassador over Tel Aviv’s approval of a major settlement plan in the West Bank
Thursday 21 August 2025 16:06 , Steffie BanatvalaThe UK Foreign Office has summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over Tel Aviv’s approval of a major settlement plan in the West Bank.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the E1 settlement plan, which would sever one of the last geographical links between the northern and southern West Bank, would “mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution”.
On Thursday, Mr Lammy and other foreign ministers from Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement again condemning the E1 plan, saying it would bring “no benefits to the Israeli people” and “risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability”.
Hostage families call for protest to end war this evening in Tel Aviv
Thursday 21 August 2025 16:00 , Steffie BanatvalaA forum representing the relatives of hostages held by Hamas has called on the public to join a march around Israel’s Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.
“The time is now - move forward with the deal! Bring them home and end the war! Every delay is a missed opportunity to save lives,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged.
“We call on all citizens of Israel to step out onto balconies and into the streets, and turn on their phone flashlights in a powerful show of solidarity with the hostages.”
IDF warns medics, residents to move ahead of 'full evacuation'
Thursday 21 August 2025 15:26 , Steffie BanatvalaIsraeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X that the military had started making what he said were initial warning calls to medical and international organisations operating in Gaza's north, telling them that Gaza City residents should start to prepare to move out of the city and towards the south.
Mr Adraee also shared a recording of what he said was an Israeli officer telling a Gazan health ministry official that hospitals in southern Gaza should also prepare to receive patients from medical facilities in the north, who will be forced to evacuate.
The call could not be independently verified.
UK joins calls for Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza
Thursday 21 August 2025 15:16 , Steffie BanatvalaThe UK has called on Israel to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza as Tel Aviv ramps up its offensive.
In a statement alongside 25 other members of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK urged Israel to “allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza”.
Foreign media have been banned from entering Gaza since October 2023, other than for brief, tightly controlled trips escorted by the Israeli military. Many Palestinian journalists in the region have been killed.
The coalition said: “Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Access to conflict zones is vital to carrying out this role effectively.
“We oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts.
“We also strongly condemn all violence directed against journalists and media workers, especially the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions.”
Photos: Palestinians queue to receive food aid in Khan Younis
Thursday 21 August 2025 15:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Turkish ports require ships to declare they have no links to Israel: shipping sources
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:30 , Steffie BanatvalaTurkish ports are informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters confirming vessels have no ties to Israel and are not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country, two shipping sources were cited as saying by Reuters.
The instruction applies nationwide, though no official circular has been issued.
Photos: Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza, heading South following Gaza City operation
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Watch: Aftermath of Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah
Thursday 21 August 2025 13:15 , Steffie BanatvalaPhotos: Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, in Khan Younis
Thursday 21 August 2025 12:49 , Steffie Banatvala
