Famine Is Likely Imminent in Northern Gaza, Hunger Experts Say UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in parts of northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are conducting a major offensive, hunger experts warned Friday.

There is a "strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas" of the northern Gaza Strip, a committee of global food security experts warned on Friday, as Israel pursues a military offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the area.

At the beginning of November, the Biden administration ramped up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a deadline loomed for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk potential restrictions on military assistance.

The UN agency said it verified the details of 8,119 people killed in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. Its analysis found around 44% of verified victims were children and 26% women. The ages most represented among the dead were five to nine-year-olds.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said on Friday nearly 70% of the fatalities it has verified in the Gaza war were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said on Friday nearly 70% of the fatalities it has verified in the Gaza war were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip. The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza,

The IDF is preparing to open the Kissufim crossing for aid entry into the Gaza Strip, a joint statement from the IDF and Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Friday.