NEW YORK CITY, New York: Gaza City has been formally declared in famine, marking the first time the world's leading hunger monitor has applied the classification outside Africa. The grim determination intensifies calls for Israel to allow more aid into the blockaded territory as hunger worsens.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations report, said that nearly 514,000 people in Gaza — almost a quarter of its population — are already living in famine conditions, with numbers projected to climb to 641,000 by the end of September. Around 280,000 of those affected are in Gaza City and surrounding areas, which the IPC said met its strict threshold for famine following nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

The report warned that central and southern regions, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, could also experience famine within weeks. It added that conditions in northern areas, where data access is limited, may be even worse than in Gaza City.

"This is a famine we could have prevented," said U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. "Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel."

Israel strongly rejected the findings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the IPC report "an outright lie," insisting Israel had delivered over 2 million tons of aid into Gaza since the conflict began. "Israel does not have a policy of starvation. Israel has a policy of preventing starvation," he said.

The U.S. reaction was more cautious. While President Donald Trump acknowledged last month that "many people there are starving," the State Department stressed Friday that aid has been looted and accused Hamas of pushing a false narrative for political leverage. "The U.S. Government is focused on getting aid delivered to the people of Gaza," a spokesperson said.

The IPC, an initiative backed by 21 aid groups and U.N. agencies, has only declared famine four times before — in Somalia (2011), South Sudan (2017 and 2020), and Sudan (2024). The classification requires extreme shortages affecting 20 percent of the population, acute malnutrition in one-third of children, and daily deaths of at least two per 10,000 people from starvation or related disease.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Gaza famine "a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself," urging a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and unfettered humanitarian access. U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned that starvation deaths could constitute war crimes.

Israel's rejection of the report was echoed by its military agency COGAT, which said the IPC relied on partial data provided by Hamas and ignored Israeli aid delivery records. Still, international pressure mounted. Britain called the findings "utterly horrifying" and demanded Israel allow unimpeded entry of food and fuel. Canada, Australia, and European governments issued similar warnings about "unimaginable" suffering.

Meanwhile, aid groups said the IPC report underscored what they have long documented. "We have photos, we have clear data, and now we have this assessment," said Kate Phillips-Barrasso of Mercy Corps. "Yet it still hasn't translated into the urgent action needed to stop people from starving."

The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say.