Amnesty International calls on Israeli forces to stop their Gaza City offensive after a top food security body declares famine in the region.
The offensive "would not only lead to yet more mass violations of international humanitarian law, but would also deliberately, exponentially intensify the suffering of Palestinians already enduring starvation and rising death tolls from malnutrition," according to Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International.
"With every hour that passes without decisive international action, more Palestinian lives are lost, and Gaza City edges closer to complete annihilation,"
she added.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification's early Friday proclamation of famine, 514,000 people are currently suffering from famine, and by the end of September, that number is predicted to increase to 641,000.
It said that famine was affecting almost 280,000 people in northern Gaza, including Gaza City.
"Entirely man-made, deliberately orchestrated and preventable catastrophe,"
she continued.
Reacting to the announcement, Guevara said that it
"is a devastating confirmation of what humanitarian and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have been warning of for months, and a scathing failure of states to press Israel into ending its genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip."
Israel has rejected the designation, labeled the report "fake and biased," and stated that "there is no famine in Gaza," a stance it has maintained since humanitarian organizations initially claimed earlier this year that Palestinians were starving in Gaza.
Amnesty's plea coincides with international indignation about the starvation and Israel's intention to conquer Gaza City.
"Massive death and destruction" would result from an attack on the city, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned.
"It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare,"
stated UN rights chief Volker Turk.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that "the confirmation of famine in Gaza City and the surrounding neighborhood is utterly horrifying and is wholly preventable." The United Kingdom has also voiced its concerns and denounced the Israeli administration.
"The Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe. This is a moral outrage,"
he added.
Since Israel began its bombardment on Gaza, 273 Palestinians, including 112 children, have perished from starvation.
Since October 2023, the genocidal conflict has completely destroyed the enclave and killed 62,263 Palestinians.
How does Amnesty describe the specific actions Israel must stop immediately?
End the military blockade and siege of Gaza that deliberately restrict access to essential supplies such as food, water, medicine, and fuel, which Amnesty describes as a war crime and act of genocide by starving civilians.
Halt all military offensives and bombardments in Gaza City and across the Gaza Strip that cause widespread destruction, kill civilians, and inflict serious physical and mental harm.
Stop issuing mass displacement and evacuation orders forcing Palestinians into overcrowded and unsafe areas, which Amnesty condemns as forcible transfer and a potential crime against humanity.