UN Warns Gaza Famine Intensifies as 1 in 3 Goes Days Without Food

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has issued an urgent alert, warning that the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Based on data through July 25, the IPC says food consumption levels in most of Gaza have dropped to their lowest since the war began, and acute malnutrition has surged in Gaza City, where nearly 17% of children under five are wasted.

• At least 20% of households are essentially starving.

• One in three Gazans is going days without food.

• Immediate, large-scale humanitarian action is needed to avert widespread death.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has recalled his cabinet from summer recess to tackle the mounting humanitarian disaster in Gaza. On Tuesday, ministers will discuss a joint peace plan with France and Germany, and measures to expedite much-needed aid into the territory.

Aid agencies and the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warn that Gaza is on the brink of famine. Local health officials report at least 147 deaths from starvation and malnutrition, including 88 children, while Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide and Israeli forces continue deadly operations.

A Russian aerial assault on a frontline prison in southeastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region left at least 17 inmates dead and 42 wounded, Ukrainian officials reported. Eight high-explosive glide bombs struck the Bilenkivska Correctional Facility overnight, destroying key buildings including the dining hall and quarantine block.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as deliberate, while U.S. President Donald Trump warned Moscow it has "10 or 12 days" to agree a ceasefire or face sanctions. Additional Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk killed at least four civilians, and Ukraine repelled drone incursions into its own territory.

Human rights bodies say targeting detainees breaches international law.

President Trump trimmed his 50-day ceasefire window for Russia to just 10–12 days, expressing disappointment in Vladimir Putin's inaction during a U.K. visit. He warned that failure to halt Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian cities by August 7–9 would trigger new secondary sanctions.

• Ukraine's President Zelenskyy praised the move as a sign of "real peace through strength."


• Kremlin hawk Dmitry Medvedev branded the ultimatum a dangerous escalation that risks broader conflict.

Ceasefire advocates now watch whether Putin will respond or press on with long-range assaults.