Parts of Gaza are officially experiencing a “man-made” famine, according to a report by a United Nations-backed initiative, which added that the situation is expected to worsen after months of relentless conflict.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that famine has been confirmed in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, now also the site of a major new Israeli offensive.

The IPC called for an immediate ceasefire, saying that without a truce that allows humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, “avoidable deaths will increase.”

During nearly two years of war in Gaza, Israel has at times restricted or cut off the entry of aid to the ravaged enclave.

While some people have died of starvation and hunger, others have been killed trying to receive aid at distribution sites run by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which was brought in place to replace a UN system long criticized by Israel.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the UN should declare itself “corrupt” and “incompetent” after the IPC declaration of famine.