Palestinians gathered around a soup kitchen in Central Gaza on Friday to receive food for their families, as Israel's looming assault on Gaza City forces thousands to abandon their homes.

Many are heading south after the Israeli military called for a full evacuation of Gaza City before it launches what it says is a major offensive against Hamas.

"The situation is really difficult and our children are dying from malnutrition," said Basma Abu al-Kheer, a displaced woman from Tal Al-Sultan who queued for hours for a plate of food from the kitchen.

Israel has denied there is starvation in Gaza, even after experts last month announced a famine in Gaza City.

It says it has allowed enough humanitarian aid in and accuses Hamas of diverting it.

U.N. agencies deny there is any systematic diversion and say Israel’s restrictions and ongoing offensive make it difficult to deliver desperately needed food.

One of the organizers of the soup kitchen, who gave his name only as Abu Hamza, said there had been a noticeable increase in people coming for food since Israel issued its evacuation orders for Gaza City.

"People are out on the street and they come every day to get their main meal; they don't have kitchens, income or anything to buy from the markets," he said.

Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The agency doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or militants, but says about half the dead were women and children.

AP video by Abdel Kareem Hana