Israeli rejects 'biased' warning of famine in Gaza

Israel rejected on Saturday a group of global food security experts' warning of famine in parts of northern Gaza where it is waging war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"Unfortunately, the researchers continue to rely on partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests," the military said in a statement.

The independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said on Friday in a rare alert that there was a strong likelihood of imminent famine in parts of north Gaza with immediate action required from the warring parties to ease a catastrophic situation.

Israel said it had increased aid efforts including opening an additional crossing on Friday.

Asked about the FRC alert, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Saturday that Washington was "concerned about the limited amount of aid reaching civilians living in Gaza" and that the report underscored the situation's urgency.

"We have and will continue to make clear to Israel that they must do more to facilitate aid entry and delivery inside Gaza," the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. was working with Israel, the UN, and other partners to find solutions to ramp up aid delivery.

The State Department spokesperson also said Hamas must release the hostages it is holding and not interfere in any humanitarian efforts.

Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, 39,000 trucks carrying more than 840,000 tons of food have entered Gaza, Israel said, and meetings were taking place daily with the U.N., which had 700 trucks of aid awaiting pickup and distribution.

With some critics decrying a starvation tactic in north Gaza, Israel's main ally the U.S. has set a deadline within days for it to improve the humanitarian situation or face potential restrictions on military cooperation.