The world's leading authority on food crises has officially declared famine in Gaza City, marking the first confirmed famine in the Gaza Strip as more than 500,000 people face catastrophic starvation conditions across the Palestinian territory.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) announced Friday that Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, is gripped by famine and warned the crisis will likely spread to central and southern Gaza by late September without immediate intervention. The declaration represents the most severe deterioration since the IPC began analyzing acute food insecurity in Gaza in May 2024.
The famine confirmation comes nearly two years into armed conflict between Israel and Hamas that began with the October 7, 2023 invasion, as Israeli restrictions continue to limit the flow of food and humanitarian aid into the densely populated enclave. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres called the situation a "failure of humanity" and a "man-made disaster," while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as an "outright lie".
Catastrophic Conditions Spreading Across Territory
The IPC analysis reveals that famine conditions have taken hold across the Gaza Governorate, encompassing Gaza City and surrounding areas, with projections showing the crisis will extend to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates in the coming weeks. By the end of September, nearly 641,000 people-almost one in three residents across the Gaza Strip-are projected to face catastrophic conditions characterized by "starvation, destitution and death".
The famine declaration requires meeting three critical thresholds: plummeting food consumption, acute malnutrition, and deaths from malnutrition. According to UN officials, two of these thresholds have been definitively reached, with mounting evidence of widespread hunger-related deaths fulfilling the third criteria.
Over 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition, with 16 deaths already reported. The crisis has left hundreds of thousands of people going days without food, while access to clean water and healthcare has collapsed across the territory.
Infrastructure Collapse Compounds Crisis
The humanitarian emergency has been exacerbated by widespread infrastructure destruction, with 70 percent of Gaza's infrastructure damaged or destroyed during the ongoing conflict. This systematic breakdown has severely hampered food distribution networks and medical services essential for addressing malnutrition cases.
Ross Smith, UN World Food Programme director of emergencies, emphasized the unprecedented nature of the crisis: "This is not a warning, this is a call to action. This is unlike anything we have seen in this century". The collapse of basic services has created conditions where even delivered aid cannot reach those most in need.
UN agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have collectively highlighted the extreme urgency for immediate full-scale humanitarian response, citing escalating hunger-related deaths and rapidly worsening malnutrition levels.
International Response and Aid Restrictions
The international community has responded with alarm to the famine declaration. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib stated bluntly: "Famine is no longer a risk in Gaza. It is a reality. Children are dying from hunger and disease, while families are going days without food".
More than 100 humanitarian organizations have documented restrictions on aid entering Gaza, directly contradicting Israeli denials of limiting humanitarian access. These restrictions, combined with ongoing military operations, have created what aid agencies describe as insurmountable obstacles to addressing the crisis.
The UN maintains that Israel continues to restrict aid quantities entering Gaza, while Israeli officials dispute these claims and reject assessments of food insecurity in the territory. This disagreement has created a diplomatic impasse even as humanitarian conditions deteriorate rapidly.
Global Context of Food Insecurity
The Gaza famine occurs within a broader global hunger crisis affecting 319 million people across 67 countries worldwide. However, the intensity of Gaza's situation stands out even within this context-the territory now accounts for a significant portion of the 1.9 million people globally facing catastrophic hunger conditions.
Conflict remains the primary driver of food insecurity globally, with 70 percent of acutely hungry people living in fragile or conflict-affected areas. The Gaza crisis exemplifies how warfare can rapidly transform food insecurity into full-scale famine, disrupting agricultural production, supply chains, and humanitarian access simultaneously.
The speed of deterioration in Gaza has shocked international observers familiar with global food crises. Unlike gradual-onset famines often associated with drought or economic collapse, Gaza's famine has developed rapidly amid active conflict and restrictions on humanitarian access.
Urgent Calls for Ceasefire and Access
UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have united in calling for an immediate ceasefire as the only viable solution to prevent further catastrophic deterioration. Without cessation of hostilities and unrestricted humanitarian access, aid organizations warn that current intervention efforts cannot match the scale of need.
The agencies emphasize that famine "must be stopped at all costs," requiring not only increased aid deliveries but fundamental changes in access conditions. Current security restrictions and ongoing military operations make large-scale food distribution impossible in many affected areas.
International humanitarian law requires parties to conflict to facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, particularly for essential supplies like food and medical aid. The gap between these legal obligations and current realities has become a central point of international diplomatic pressure.
Projected Escalation and Long-term Implications
The IPC's projections paint an increasingly dire picture for the coming months. If current conditions persist, famine will likely encompass the majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents by year's end. The organization's models show exponential increases in acute malnutrition cases, particularly among children under five years old.
Medical experts warn that even if food access improves immediately, the health impacts of prolonged malnutrition will persist for years, particularly affecting child development and maternal health. The psychological trauma of starvation compounds these physical health consequences, creating long-term challenges for Gaza's population.
The confirmed famine represents a watershed moment in the ongoing conflict, potentially reshaping international diplomatic efforts and humanitarian law discussions. As the first officially declared famine in an area receiving significant international attention and media coverage, Gaza's crisis may influence how the global community responds to future food emergencies in conflict zones.
The situation demands immediate action to prevent what humanitarian officials describe as an entirely preventable catastrophe from claiming thousands more lives in the coming weeks.