Introduction
A UN-backed global hunger monitor has officially declared that Gaza famine declared conditions are now present in the Gaza Strip. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) announced on Friday that at least half a million people in the north are facing catastrophic levels of starvation, acute malnutrition, and death.
Criteria for a Famine Declaration
The IPC does not use the term “famine” lightly. To declare one, a three-part threshold must be met: at least 20% of households face an extreme lack of food, over 30% of children are acutely malnourished, and the daily death rate from starvation or its complications exceeds two adults or four children per 10,000 people. The group’s report confirms that northern Gaza has surpassed these devastating benchmarks.
A Man-Made and Worsening Crisis
The report explicitly describes the Gaza famine as a man-made disaster, driven by intense conflict, stringent Israeli restrictions on aid, and the collapse of essential services. It warns that without immediate intervention, the famine will spread southward into the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates by the end of September. The proportion of households facing severe hunger has more than tripled in Gaza City since May.
Israeli Rejection and Aid Challenges
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) rejected the IPC’s findings, calling its methodology “questionable” and accusing it of ignoring Israeli data on increased aid deliveries. However, aid agencies on the ground state that Israeli measures fall drastically short of what is needed after months of scarcity and logistical hurdles. [Internal link: israel-aid-gaza-challenges]
Aid groups emphasize that the problem is not a lack of donated supplies, which are stockpiled at Gaza’s borders, but the political will and safe conditions required for distribution. “What’s missing is not the ability to respond, but the political will to allow it,” said the head of Mercy Corps.
Historical Context and Global Outrage
An official famine declaration is rare. Since 2004, the IPC has only confirmed three others: in Somalia (2011), South Sudan (2017), and Sudan (2023). Such a declaration is meant to galvanize global action. International outrage over images of starving children and aid workers unable to function has already been widespread, yet it has not yet translated into a resolution to the access crisis.
The Path Forward
The IPC stated that this famine can be “halted and reversed,” but only with a massive and immediate increase in humanitarian access. Aid officials insist that a ceasefire is essential to safely distribute the aid required to save countless lives. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are preparing for a new offensive in Gaza City, the very epicenter of the famine, potentially exacerbating the crisis further.
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