Thursday Briefing

Children in the wreckage of a car in Rafah. The U.N. warned of dire food shortages in Gaza.Credit…Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

U.N. warned of famine in Gaza

Civilians and aid groups have described food shortages in Gaza so dire that people were turning to leaves and animal feed for sustenance.

The lack of food was particularly acute in northern and central areas, where the U.N. and relief agencies said they had been struggling to deliver supplies amid Israel’s military campaign.

A U.N. humanitarian official told the U.N. Security Council that at least a quarter of Gaza’s residents were “one step away from famine,” and one in six children under 2 in northern Gaza was suffering from acute malnutrition.

A cease-fire remained elusive, as Hamas’s political leader called on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank to defy Israeli restrictions and march to the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem at the start of Ramadan, creating the prospect of clashes between them and the Israeli security forces.