UN offficial says some Israeli leaders promoting hunger as 'a weapon of war' in Gaza as famine declared

Credit: United NationsA top UN official accused Israeli ministers of promoting famine as a "weapon of war" in Gaza City, after the world's leading authority on food crises said the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine.The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said famine is occurring in Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and that it could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.The IPC determination comes after months of warnings by aid groups that Israel’s restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, and its military offensive, were causing high levels of starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children.The UN's under-secretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, Tom Fletcher, said Gaza is experiencing "a 21st-century famine, watched over by drones and the most advanced military technology in history".He added: "It is a famine openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war."