In response to the alert issued last night, by the IPC's Famine Review Committee, which warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza, Oxfam's Middle East Director, Sally Abi Khalil, said:

"It is a crime against humanity for a country to unleash famine upon a population. For over a year Israel has used starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, while the rest of the world has stood by and watched.

"The situation in northern Gaza is now beyond catastrophic and families there literally have nothing to eat. In southern Gaza, things are also rapidly deteriorating, with almost no food left in the markets in Deir El Balah.

"Famine has been looming for months and humanitarian agencies like Oxfam have repeatedly warned of how horrific the situation is, yet we've been repeatedly blocked from getting enough aid into Gaza.

"The IPC is warning that action must be taken within days, if we're to have any hope of preventing famine. It is time for world leaders to offer more than words and do everything in their power to stop Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza and ensure aid can get to the people who desperately need it."