Famine imminent in north Gaza, an 'unprecedented' crisis: UN

Half of Gazans are experiencing "catastrophic" hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the territory by May unless there is urgent intervention, a United Nations-backed food security assessment warned Monday.

"People in Gaza are starving to death right now. The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying," said Cindy McCain, head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership on Monday estimated that 1.1 million people -- half the population, according to UN data -- were facing catastrophic conditions.

"To have 50 percent of an entire population in catastrophic, near-famine levels, is unprecedented," Beth Bechdol, deputy director general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told AFP.

The WFP said this was the "highest number of people ever recorded as facing catastrophic hunger" under the IPC system, originally developed in 2004.

The situation is particularly dire in the north of Gaza, where the UN says there are about 300,000 people -- and where the IPC said famine was "imminent... projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May".

Martin Griffiths, the UN's humanitarian chief, called for Israel to allow unfettered access for aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, saying there was "no time to lose".

"The international community should hang its head in shame for failing to stop this," he said.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the findings were "alarming", and revealed a "heartwrenching" picture of "children who are starving".

"That is why we believe so strongly that everything must be done to scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance," he said.