Famine is looming in the northern Gaza Strip amid increased hostilities and a near-halt in food aid, a UN-backed assessment said on Saturday.

In a clear attempt to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza from its Palestinian population, Israeli forces have intensified their deadly assault on towns and refugee camps in the area since early October, killing and wounding several thousands through airstrikes and bombardment, and starving the rest through aan ironclad embargo on the entry all food, water, and medicine aid shipments.

Aid shipments allowed to enter the Gaza Strip were now lower than at any time since October 2023, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report.

The 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.

The FRC alert warned of "an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine occurring due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip."

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called on the world to rescue Palestinian civilians, who have been subjected to various types of atrocities by Israeli occupation forces for over a year in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/0ENxVwRhbz

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 9, 2024

On 17 October, the body projected that the number of people in Gaza facing "catastrophic" food insecurity between November and April 2025 would reach 345,000, or 16 per cent of the population.

The IPC report classified that figure as Phase 5 -- a situation when "starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident."

Since that report, conditions have worsened in the north of Gaza, with a collapse of food systems, a drop in humanitarian aid and critical water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, the committee said.

"It can therefore be assumed that starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease, are rapidly increasing in these areas," it read.

Access to food continues to deteriorate, with prices of essentials on the black market soaring. It said that cooking gas rose by 2,612 per cent, diesel by 1,315 per cent, and wood by 250 per cent.

"Concurrent with the extremely high and increasing prices of essential items has been the total collapse of livelihoods to be able to purchase or barter for food and other basic needs," said the alert.

Palestinian children collect aid food at Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

The body expressed concern over Israel's cutting ties last month with the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), warning of "extremely serious consequences for humanitarian operations" in Gaza.

With many rights observers decrying a starvation tactic in north Gaza, Israel’s main ally the US -- Israel's biggest supporter -- has given Israel until 13 November to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip or risk the withholding of some American military assistance.

The Israeli military body in charge of approving humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said Saturday that 11 aid trucks containing food, water and medical equipment reached the territory's far north on Thursday.

It's the first time any aid has reached the far north since Israel began a new military campaign there last month.

However, not all the aid reached the agreed drop-off points, according to the UN World Food Program, which was involved in the delivery process. In the refugee camp of Jabalia, Israeli troops stopped one convoy bound for nearby Beit Lahia and ordered the supplies to be offloaded, WFP spokesperson Alia Zaki said.

The US says Israel must allow a minimum of 350 trucks a day carrying food and other supplies.