Israel Faces Mounting Pressure as Gaza Crisis Deepens Amid Famine Fears
TEL AVIV/GAZA – Israel is coming under growing pressure both at home and abroad to halt its military offensive in Gaza, where the United Nations has formally declared a famine. Despite this, Israel’s military says it is preparing to expand operations into Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban center.
The war has already displaced most of Gaza’s population of more than two million people, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times. Aid agencies warn that an expanded offensive could worsen what they describe as an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday, calling for accountability.
Fighting Intensifies
AFP footage on Thursday showed thick smoke rising above Gaza City after heavy bombardment. Locals described a night of constant explosions.
“I was injured, my husband was injured, and my son was wounded in the head,” said Aya Daher, displaced from Gaza’s Zeitoun district. Sitting outside a hospital, she told AFP she had no shelter, adding, “Thank God we survived, but there were martyrs.”
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least 40 people were killed in strikes and gunfire on Thursday, including six who were waiting for aid in the south. Israel’s military said it could not confirm the figures without precise details.
In its statement, the army confirmed preparations to expand operations against Hamas in Gaza City, while COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civil affairs, said plans were underway to move civilians south “for their protection.”
AFP images showed Palestinians loading mattresses, furniture, and bags onto vehicles as they fled southward. The UN estimates nearly one million people remain in the Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City.
Political Tensions
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said areas evacuated by Palestinians should be annexed if Hamas refuses to disarm. Hamas condemned the remarks as “an open endorsement of ethnic cleansing.”
Humanitarian Emergency
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) chief, Cindy McCain, after visiting Gaza, warned the territory is “at breaking point,” with desperation soaring. She urged the reopening of 200 food distribution centers.
The UN declared a famine in the Gaza governorate last week, blaming Israel for systematically obstructing aid deliveries. Israel has imposed severe restrictions on aid since launching its offensive following Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
Although restrictions were eased in late May, food distribution has largely shifted to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, sidelining UN agencies. However, aid distribution has been chaotic, with reports of starving civilians being shot while waiting in line.
UN rights experts also raised concerns Thursday over alleged “enforced disappearances” at GHF aid sites. The foundation denied the claims, saying there was “no evidence” to support them.
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