The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading authority on food crises, declared Friday that famine is occurring in Gaza City and could spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month, the Associated Press reported.
According to the IPC, this marks the first time famine has been confirmed in the Middle East. The announcement follows months of warnings from aid groups that Israel’s restrictions on food and humanitarian aid, combined with its ongoing military offensive, were pushing Palestinians—especially children—toward starvation.
“After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death,” the report stated.
The IPC projects that by the end of September, as many as 614,000 people could be enduring similar conditions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the crisis, calling it a “man-made disaster, a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself.”
“Famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival. People are starving. Children are dying. And those with the duty to act are failing,” Guterres wrote on X.
He further emphasized, “As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law — including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population. We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.”
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that Gaza health authorities say has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians.
Israel disputes famine report
Israel rejected the UN-backed findings, arguing that the conclusions were based on misinformation.
“There is no famine in Gaza,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said, describing the IPC assessment as “based on Hamas lies laundered through organisations with vested interests.”
The ministry added that a “massive influx of aid” had recently entered Gaza, reducing food prices. It dismissed the report, saying, “This assessment too will be thrown into the despicable trash bin of political documents.”
