Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, saying the Israeli-blockaded enclave still confronts a critical risk of famine with a high risk of one occurring by the end of September.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)’s latest report cited a significant deterioration in the situation since its last one in October, reflecting warnings from international agencies of an unfolding catastrophe in the small, densely populated Palestinian territory.
It forecast that 2.1 million people across Gaza – roughly the entire population – would likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of September, with 469,500 of them projected to likely hit “catastrophic” levels.
Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which thousands of aid trucks entered the enclave.
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Gaza population faces critical risk of famine, global hunger monitor says
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Monday the IPC had “constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel’s efforts to get more aid in”.
Mr Mencer reiterated Israel’s accusation that Hamas had caused hunger by stealing aid meant for civilians, and had “engineered the humanitarian crisis”. Hamas denies these accusations and has in turn accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
The IPC report said Israeli plans for large-scale military operations in Gaza, along with aid agencies’ “persistent inability” to deliver essential goods and services, meant there was a “high risk” of famine in the projection period from May 11th to September 30th.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog on Monday called on the international community to help with a new plan to distribute aid directly to the people of Gaza and cut Hamas out of the process.
The IPC report said the Israeli authorities’ plan for delivering aid was “estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population’s essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine”.
“Moreover, the proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population,” it said. “Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine.”
For famine to be declared, at least 20 per cent of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease.
The report projected that nearly 71,000 cases of acute malnutrition, including 14,100 severe cases, among children aged six to 59 months were expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026.
IPC reports are produced with contributions from UN agencies, NGOs and other organisations. − Reuters
ne meal with some chicken or vegetables or meat for several weeks?” − Reuters
