In Gaza City on Saturday, desperate Palestinians clutched pots and plastic buckets, scrambling for rice at a charity kitchen, following the United Nations’ declaration of famine in the war-ravaged area.
AFP footage captured the chaos in Gaza’s largest city, which Israel aims to seize in its expanded military campaign, showing women and children among the frantic crowd clamoring for food.
A young boy scraped leftover grains from a cooking vat with his hands, while a young girl sat by a tent, scooping rice from a plastic bag.
“We have lost our home, food, and income, so we turn to charity kitchens, but they cannot fully satisfy our hunger,” said Yousef Hamad, 58, displaced from Beit Hanoun.
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Further south in Deir el-Balah, 34-year-old Umm Mohammad criticized the UN’s famine declaration as “too late.”
She noted children “suffering from dizziness, unable to wake up due to lack of food and water.”
The UN declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, citing Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid during over 22 months of war.
The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) reported that famine affects 500,000 people in Gaza governorate, covering about a fifth of the Palestinian territory, including Gaza City.
‘Moral duty’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the report as “an outright lie.”
On Saturday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees urged Israel to acknowledge the famine it caused in Gaza.
“All those with influence must act with determination and moral duty,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini posted on X.
The IPC predicted the famine would spread to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by September’s end, affecting two-thirds of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its bombardment, with AFP footage showing heavy smoke over Zeitoun district as Palestinians searched through debris.
‘Feel like the end is near’
Gaza’s civil defense agency spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, described the situation in Sabra and Zeitoun as “absolutely catastrophic,” highlighting “complete destruction of residential blocks.”
“We are trapped, living in fear, with nowhere safe,” said Ahmad Jundiyeh, 35, displaced to Zeitoun’s northern outskirts.
“Bombing sounds are constant… we hear fighter jets, artillery, and drones,” he told AFP by phone.
“We are extremely afraid — it feels like the end is near.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Israel would destroy Gaza City if Hamas doesn’t disarm, release hostages, and end the war on Israel’s terms.
Gaza City residents reported relentless Israeli strikes for days.
“Let them come see our plight in Zeitoun. We’ve been ruined,” said Aymen Daloul, 53, whose home was destroyed.
“We’ll sleep on the streets like cattle. Have mercy on us.”
Mahmud Abu Saqer, 24, observed a mass exodus since Israel announced plans to seize Gaza City.
“This morning, 500 to 600 families left, and thousands left yesterday,” he said. “Explosions are driving everyone away.”
The October 2023 attack by Hamas, sparking the war, killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, per an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,622 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry figures deemed reliable by the UN.
