Netanyahu: UN report declaring famine in Gaza is 'blatant lie' | LIVE

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Saudi Arabia, said in a statement by its Foreign Ministry, that it was deeply concerned after the U.N. issued a report on what it termed famine in the area of Gaza City earlier Friday, condemning "the genocidal crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless civilians."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the U.N. report declaring famine in Gaza of being a “blatant lie” and blamed Hamas for the shortages.

"Israel does not have a policy of starvation. Israel has a policy of preventing famine,“ said a statement from Netanyahu's office, adding that ”the only ones being deliberately starved in Gaza are the Israeli hostages" held by Hamas.

The U.N. declared famine in Gaza, saying it “could have been avoided” without “Israel's systematic obstruction.” But the U.N. report “ignores Israel's humanitarian efforts and Hamas' systematic theft of aid,” Netanyahu said, adding that “it is this theft that caused the temporary shortages, which Israel overcame thanks” to its actions.

Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation under international law to “provide for the basic needs of the population” in Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross has reiterated, as famine is officially declared in the territory.

This “must serve as a catalyst for immediate and concrete action. Any further delay will cost lives. All parties to the conflict — and the states with influence over them — must do much more to enable safe, sustained and impartial humanitarian access,” the ICRC added in a brief statement.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the state of famine in the Gaza Strip, declared by the U.N. on Friday, as a “moral scandal,” saying in a statement that it was “entirely preventable.”

“The Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made disaster. It is a moral scandal,” the foreign minister said.

Israeli army strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip have killed 52 Palestinians since dawn, hospital sources in the territory told Al Jazeera.

According to these sources, 36 of the victims were in Gaza City, which is under heavy attack as the Israeli army continues its operation to seize control of Gaza’s largest urban center.

At least five of the victims were reportedly trying to collect humanitarian aid packages, the sources added.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), emphasized that “months of warnings went unheeded.”

Now that famine has been confirmed in Gaza City and surrounding areas, he believes it is “time to show political will” to end it.

“This is a famine deliberately induced by the Israeli government. It is the direct result of the months-long ban on the entry of food and other essential goods, including those of UNRWA,” he said.

“The spread of famine can still be contained through a ceasefire and by allowing humanitarian organizations to operate and deliver aid to starving populations,” Lazzarini added.

Hamas calls for the opening of all border crossings

Hamas has demanded the immediate opening of all Gaza border crossings to allow more humanitarian aid to enter, and an end to the war following the U.N.’s declaration of famine in Gaza.

"The declaration of famine in Gaza is a disgrace for [Israel] and its backers," the Palestinian movement said in a statement, adding that it confirms "the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe our people are enduring as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression, which is using starvation as a weapon of war and committing genocide against civilians."

The statement calls for "immediate action by the U.N. and the Security Council to end the war," and "the unrestricted opening of all crossings to enable the urgent and continuous entry of food, medicine, water, and fuel."

Israeli army strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip have killed 47 Palestinians since dawn, hospital sources in the territory told Al Jazeera.

A German government spokesman said on Friday that Berlin has no current plans to recognize a Palestinian state because that would undermine any efforts to reach a negotiated two-state solution with Israel, Reuters reported.

Palestinians inspect the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a tent, in Gaza City, on Aug. 22, 2025. (Credit: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters.)

Six Palestinians have been arrested in dawn raids by Israeli forces in Nablus and Bethlehem governorates in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA) says.

In Nablus governorate, raids were carried out in Nablus and the village of Madama to the south, where a man was beaten as he was arrested during a raid on his family’s home, the office said.

Four men aged between 34 and 53 were also arrested in raids in various parts of Bethlehem governorate, the office said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a response to the IPC report, saying its conclusions are "based on Hamas lies laundered through organizations with vested interests," and that there is no famine in Gaza, Haaretz reported

The U.N.’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, reminded that “starving people for military purposes is a war crime,” just minutes after the U.N. officially declared famine in Gaza.

“We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“We need an immediate cease-fire, the immediate release of all hostages, and full, unhindered humanitarian access,” he added.

The Israeli drone strike on Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon killed Mohammad Kassem, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced.

The U.N. human rights chief says that the emergence of famine in northern Gaza is the “direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government” and says that deaths from starvation might amount to a war crime.

“The famine declared today in Gaza Governorate by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government,” Volker Turk said in a statement to reporters, cited by Al-Jazeera, referring to a report by a global hunger monitor.

“It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare, and the resulting deaths may also amount to the war crime of willful killing,” he added.

Southern Lebanon: Israeli strike on Aita al-Shaab, one person seriously injured

An Israeli army drone carried out a strike on Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district, seriously injuring a resident, according to local sources cited by our correspondent?

UN declares famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East

The U.N. has officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first to affect the Middle East, after its experts warned that 500,000 people are in a “catastrophic” state.

After months of warnings about a looming famine in the war-ravaged territory, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — a U.N. body based in Rome — has confirmed that a famine is underway in the Gaza governorate, and it is expected to spread to the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates by the end of September.

An Israeli drone dropped a bomb last night on an excavator between Ainata and Kounine (Bint Jbeil district), according to local residents.

Israeli soldiers have stormed the Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas, according to the Wafa news agency.

Quoting local sources, Wafa said the Israeli army entered the camp with several patrols, raiding at least one home.

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, including 24 killed in Gaza City, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera.

At least two of the latest deaths were confirmed to Al Jazeera by Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after Israeli forces attacked the northwest of the city.

An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza City kills 12

Twelve Palestinians were killed in a dawn strike on a school sheltering displaced people in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in the northern Gaza Strip, according to information from the city's emergency services.

An earlier toll had reported five dead.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened that the city of Gaza will be destroyed if Hamas does not accept peace on the terms dictated by Israel.

"Soon the gates of hell will open upon the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza, until they accept the conditions set by Israel to end the war — mainly the release of all hostages and the disarmament" of the Palestinian movement, the minister wrote on X.

"If they do not accept, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah or Beit Hanoun," he added, referring to two cities in the Gaza strip that were largely leveled by Israel in its war against Hamas, ongoing for nearly two years.

A 'security agreement' could be signed between Israel and Syria at the UN in September

High-level Syrian sources told The Independent Arabia that Syria and Israel are expected to sign a security agreement on Sept. 25, under U.S. sponsorship.

This agreement would be limited to “security issues, aimed at easing tensions between the two countries,” and a comprehensive peace deal is not expected in the near future.

According to the Arabic-language British media outlet, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to deliver a speech the day before at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Syria and Israel held security talks in Paris on Tuesday evening, following tensions from clashes in Sweida in July, which culminated in Israeli bombings on Damascus.

UN condemns strikes causing massive destruction and numerous casualties in and around Gaza City

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Israeli strikes in eastern and southern Gaza City are causing a high number of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction.

In a statement, OCHA added that Israel struck an improvised shelter for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, which was also used as an office and guesthouse, damaging the site.

The statement also highlighted that famine and malnutrition among Palestinian children in Gaza are worsening, and 16,800 people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip between Aug.12 and 20.

Iranian Foreign Minister to discuss nuclear deal with German, British, and French counterparts

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will hold a conference call on Friday with his German, French, and British counterparts regarding the nuclear agreement, according to Iranian news agency IRNA.

The three European powers have threatened to impose “snapback” sanctions on Iran if it does not return to the negotiating table by the end of August.

Netanyahu orders negotiations to free hostages as Israeli army pounds Gaza City

Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday evening that he had ordered the opening of negotiations to free “all” hostages in Gaza, in response to a new truce proposal in the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli army is tightening its grip on Gaza City ahead of a planned offensive.

“I have given instructions to immediately begin negotiations to release all our hostages and end the war under conditions acceptable to Israel,” the Prime Minister stated.

Without naming it explicitly, he was responding to the latest cease-fire proposal from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, aimed at ending more than 22 months of war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands.

Southern Lebanon: Prefabricated home destroyed by Israeli drone strike in Maroun al-Ras

On Friday morning in southern Lebanon, an Israeli army drone bombed a prefabricated structure that a resident had converted into a home in Maroun al-Ras, in the Bint Jbeil district, according to our correspondent.

Initial reports indicate that no one was injured in the strike.

Attacks on such temporary structures had increased during the first months after the ceasefire came into effect, but none had been reported since late May.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East — in Gaza, where the Israeli army continues its bloody offensive and prepares to occupy the main city, the war in Lebanon, where Israel is continuing to break the cease-fire almost daily, as well as in Iran and Syria.

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