SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
As Israel prepares for another major military offensive in Gaza, a new report says Gaza is in the grip of a full-blown famine. Experts from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, say more than a half-million people in the devastated territory face catastrophic conditions and that more than 130,000 children under the age of 5 risk death from malnutrition this year. NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam joins us from Tel Aviv to talk about the latest in this nearly 2-year-old war in Gaza. Hi, Jackie.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: Jackie, this is such a damning report on what's happening in Gaza. What has been Israel's reaction?
NORTHAM: Well, Israeli officials immediately came out and said the report was both biased and false. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the findings an outright lie saying, you know, that Israel doesn't have a policy of starvation and that food it sends into Gaza is stolen by Hamas for its own purposes. But, you know, Scott, Israel has restricted food and medicine and the like into Gaza, and even earlier this year, it prevented any aid from going in for a couple of months.
Recently, some food is being distributed through U.S.-backed centers, but hundreds of Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces trying to get food at those sites since they were open. So, you know, it's a dire situation, and the IPC, in its report, warned that the famine will get worse.
DETROW: And at the same time, as we have been hearing, Netanyahu said this week, he approved an operation to send the Israeli military into Gaza City to clear out Hamas militants. What is the end goal of this new operation?
NORTHAM: Well, you're right. This is shaping up to be a major offensive. Israel considers Gaza City to be one of the last major Hamas strongholds, and the military is already preparing the groundwork to take control. And that includes intensive bombing over the last few nights, which has killed dozens of people, including children, and calling up 60,000 reservists earlier this week, bringing the total up to about 120,000, and they'll work along with active duty soldiers. Netanyahu explained to Sky News Australia what the endgame is. Here he is.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: I've said that this war could end today. It can end it if Hamas lays down its arms and releases the remaining 50 hostages, at least 20 of which are alive. And that's our goal - to get all the hostages out, to disarm Hamas, demilitarize Gaza.
NORTHAM: You know, Scott, it's unlikely Hamas will lay down its arms at this point, and it's seen as wanting to hold on to at least some of the hostages for leverage in any negotiations with Israel. There was a ceasefire proposal on the table, which Hamas agreed to, earlier this week under pressure from Egypt and Qatar. And there was one similar proposed by the U.S. that Israel initially agreed to, but now it's unclear whether Netanyahu will agree to it. And the thinking is the military offensive will help soften up Hamas so Israel can achieve more in any deal.
DETROW: Let's go back to that humanitarian crisis, though, and the widespread hunger. What does that mean for Palestinians if and when this offensive on Gaza City is launched?
NORTHAM: Well, the military has been telling Palestinians and, you know, medical facilities to get out of the city before the assault gets fully underway. This is - this will be urban warfare, and Gaza City is densely populated. So we're talking hundreds of thousands of Palestinians being told to evacuate. The problem is, where do they go? The situation isn't any better in the South towards the Egyptian border. There's already a humanitarian crisis there. And, you know, many Gazans have been uprooted several times since October 2023, when Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel. You know, many of them are out of money, and again, there's this famine that's gripped Gaza.
DETROW: How are Israelis reacting to the news of this coming offensive?
NORTHAM: You know, there is a lot of anger, and there have been protests. Last weekend, we saw hundreds of thousands of Israeli take to the streets, including here in Tel Aviv. Many people want a ceasefire deal to bring home the Israeli hostages. And there's a fear that a new Israeli offensive in Gaza City could lead to the death of more hostages, you know, as well as Israeli troops.
DETROW: NPR's Jackie Northam talking to us from Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.
NORTHAM: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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