The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has said the latest report on food insecurity in Gaza was "an appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians".
The UN-backed report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said that famine in northern Gaza was imminent - projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024.
"More than half of all Palestinians in Gaza - 1.1 million people - have completely exhausted their food supplies and are facing catastrophic hunger, according to the report," Mr Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
"Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering," he said.
"This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system - anywhere, anytime," he added.
Mr Guterres said the situation was an "entirely manmade disaster" and said that the report made clear that it could be halted.
"Today's report is Exhibit A for the need for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire," he said.
The UN chief called on the Israeli authorities to ensure "complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza" and for the international community to fully support the UN's humanitarian efforts.
"We must act now to prevent the unthinkable, the unacceptable and the unjustifiable," he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has been denied entry to Gaza by Israel.
On social media, Philippe Lazzarini said: "On the day new data is out on famine in Gaza, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza.
"UNRWA has by far the largest presence among all humanitarian organisations in Gaza. My visit today was supposed to coordinate & improve the humanitarian response."
Mr Lazzarini said: "This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity. Too much time was wasted, all land crossings must open now. Famine can be averted with political will."
Israeli forces kill 20 gunmen in raid at Gaza hospital, army says
Israeli troops raided the compound of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital early this morning, saying they killed 20 gunmen, in an operation Palestinian health authorities said caused multiple casualties and set off a fierce fire in one of the buildings.
The Israeli military said soldiers and special forces had conducted a "precise operation" based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders and were fired upon when they entered the compound.
"Twenty terrorists have been eliminated at the Shifa hospital thus far in various engagements, and dozens of apprehended suspects are currently in questioning," it said in a statement.
Al-Shifa, Gaza's biggest hospital before the war, is now one of the only healthcare facilities that is even partially operational in the north of the territory and is also housing hundreds of displaced civilians.
The Israeli army also carried out a November operation in Al-Shifa, sparking an international outcry.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war have sought shelter in the complex, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of running military operations from hospitals and other medical centres, claims the militant group denies.
The Hamas government media office in Gaza condemned the operation, saying that "the storming of the Al-Shifa medical complex with tanks, drones, and weapons, and shooting inside it, is a war crime".
The Israeli army has carried out several operations on medical facilities around Gaza since the start of the war.
The war began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack from Gaza on 7 October that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that the health ministry in the Palestinian territory says has killed at least 31,645 people, most of them women and children.
Following its 15 November operation on Al-Shifa, the Israeli military said it had found weapons and other military equipment hidden in the site - claims Hamas has denied.
It also claimed it had found a 55-metre tunnel in the basement and shared footage that it said proved hostages had been held there, which Hamas also denied.
According to the UN, 155 health facilities in Gaza have been damaged since the war began.
Biden and Netanyahu discuss Rafah, Gaza aid, says White House
US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and discussed the situation in Rafah and efforts increase aid to Gaza, the White House said.
The call was the first between the two leaders since Feb. 15 and comes amid sharp tensions between Israel and its most steadfast ally over Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza that followed Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel.
"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the White House said.
Separately, Netanyahu said the two men had discussed Israel's commitment to achieve all the targets it had set out for the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel.
This would be done "while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve those goals," he said in a statement.
In a speech on Thursday, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, called for new elections in Israel and said Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace.
Biden praised the speech the following day and said that Schumer had echoed the concerns of many Americans.
Netanyahu responded harshly on Sunday, telling CNN in an interview that Schumer's speech was "totally inappropriate".
Netanyahu reaffirmed to a cabinet meeting on Sunday that Israeli forces would thrust into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid further civilian casualties.
Canada parliament to vote on motion backing Palestinian statehood
Canadian legislators are due to vote on a non-binding motion backing Palestinian statehood that has drawn condemnation from Israel and that could deepen splits inside the ruling Liberal Party.
Although the government is free to ignore the result of the vote in the House of Commons elected chamber, it could cause political problems for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The motion was drawn up by the minority left-leaning New Democrats (NDP), who are helping keep Mr Trudeau's Liberals in power and are unhappy by what they see as his failure to do enough to protect the civilian population in Gaza.
"Justin Trudeau could take bold steps for peace and justice, but he doesn't have the courage. That's why we brought a motion to force the Liberal government to finally help end this bloodshed," NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement, saying Palestinians and Israelis both deserve to live in peace.
Last week, Canada said it had paused non-lethal military exports to Israel since January because of the rapidly evolving situation on the ground.
Additional reporting Paul Cunningham, AFP, Reuters
