Entire Gaza population at critical risk of famine, UN-backed assessment saysSome 244,000 people were currently experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity, it said, and called for urgent action to prevent the "increasingly likely" risk of famine. A UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza's population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at "critical risk" of famine and faces "extreme levels of food insecurity" as an Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid continues. The IPC assessment, released on Monday, found half a million people - or one in five - were facing starvation in Gaza. Israeli officials have denied there is a hunger crisis in Gaza because of the quantity of aid that entered during the ceasefire. The group said it was also intended to facilitate a deal for the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.