The world's leading authority on food crises says the Gaza Strip’s largest city is gripped by famine, and that it is likely to spread without an immediate ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The IPC, a global body that monitors hunger crises, says 22 months of war in Gaza have left half a million people facing "starvation, destitution and death." Israel calls it "lies."

Famine has struck an area of Gaza and will likely spread over the next month, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday (Aug 22), an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.