A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorize the military to mount a major operation to seize Gaza City, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that it could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun,

Famine was officially declared Friday in part of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, by the world's leading authority on hunger as Israel vowed to destroy the area if Hamas doesn't agree to its terms.

A famine has officially been confirmed in Gaza City and the surrounding neighbourhoods by a UN-backed, globally recognised system for classifying food insecurity and malnutrition. Follow the latest below.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he will give final approval for the takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all the remaining hostages and ending the war on Israel's terms.

Famine is officially declared in the governorate that includes Gaza City. No additional detainees will be allowed in “Alligator Alcatraz” after a judge’s ruling. And Serena Williams opens up about her decision to take a GLP-1 medication after struggling to lose weight with diet and exercise.

The drums of war are pounding on the doorstep of Gaza City. Residents of the largest city in northern Gaza, packed with locals and refugees, fear the hours are ticking down before a looming Israeli offensive.

A Planet Labs satellite photo taken on Aug. 16 shows a new military presence on the eastern edge of Gaza City, two experts told ABC News.

Israel said its military had entered the first stages of a planned assault on the city, a campaign it begins while clashing publicly with major Western powers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered negotiations for the release of all hostages and an end to the war in Gaza “on terms acceptable to Israel.”