A UN-backed body confirms famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas, and says half a million are facing "catastrophic" conditions.

Famine has been determined in Gaza Governorate, where Gaza City is located, according to a warning issued Friday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian territory.

Famine has struck an area of Gaza and will likely spread over the next month, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday.

For now the famine is centred in the governorate of Gaza, one of five in the strip. It is the most densely populated and home to Gaza city. By the end of September, famine is expected to spread south to the governorates of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis (see maps).

Famine is now occurring in Gaza City, according to the world’s leading authority on food crises. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released an analysis saying more than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine,

A UN-backed body says more than half a million people across Gaza are facing "starvation, destitution and death".

David Lammy has condemned the famine in Gaza as “utterly horrifying” and a “man-made catastrophe” caused by Israel.