Human Rights Watch warned that Gaza was already in the grip of famine before Israel launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots II on Gaza City, describing the humanitarian situation as catastrophic.

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The organization urged governments to impose an international arms embargo on Israel and sanction officials responsible for war crimes.

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly cautioned that the Zionist blockade—cutting off food, medicine, and other essentials—has pushed Gaza to the edge of collapse. UN data indicates that half the population now faces famine, with its Commission of Inquiry accusing Tel Aviv’s regime of deliberately using starvation as a weapon against civilians.

Despite growing global pressure to restrict arms sales and hold Israeli leaders accountable, the absence of enforcement has enabled military operations to intensify, worsening the crisis.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) this week formally declared famine in parts of Gaza, reporting that 514,000 people—roughly one in four residents—are already affected. That figure could surge to 641,000 by the end of September.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 313 people, including 119 children, have died from starvation, with 10 more deaths—two of them children—recorded in the past 24 hours alone.

Aid groups point to more than 6,000 trucks of relief supplies stalled at Gaza’s borders under Israeli restrictions. UN officials warn that a full-scale assault on Gaza City would “erase any hope” of preventing mass starvation.

Israel, meanwhile, has rejected the IPC’s findings, pressuring the body to retract its report and even threatening to cut funding if no revision is made.

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