Gaza’s two million people are experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
This was the first time an entire population had been so classified, he said when questioned by the BBC about conditions in the territory.
Mr Blinken called on Israel to prioritise providing for those in need.
UN agencies have said north Gaza could face famine by May without a pause in the fighting and a surge in aid.
Israeli negotiators are due to begin talks in Qatar on Tuesday in a fresh attempt to agree a deal with Hamas to halt the fighting, get humanitarian aid in, and the hostages out.
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