Overview

• An IPC assessment declared famine in and around Gaza City, warning that 132,000 children under five face life‑threatening undernutrition, including 41,000 in particularly acute condition.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the finding a "flat lie" and a Hamas "staged hunger campaign," saying it will not alter Israel’s military aims, while COGAT argued the analysis ignored Israeli data.
• Israel approved plans to capture Gaza City and to move an estimated one million residents to tent camps in the south, as the UN secretary‑general warned of an intentional collapse of essential systems and reminded Israel of its obligations.
• Opposition leader Benny Gantz proposed a six‑month transition government without ultraright parties to secure a hostage deal and set spring 2026 elections, though key opposition figures signaled they would not join under Netanyahu.
• Roughly 49–50 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli assessments that about 20–22 are alive, and a mediator plan for a 60‑day pause with limited exchanges is still under discussion as protests intensify and some governments advance recognition signals and restrict arms exports.