Starvation is official: UN declares full blown famine in Gaza
Half a Million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger; UN warns famine is man-made and spreading fast
GAZA (MNTV) — Famine has been officially declared in Gaza for the first time, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said Friday, marking a grim milestone in the enclave’s worsening humanitarian disaster.
The IPC report confirmed that famine is unfolding in Gaza City and nearby towns, an area home to 514,000 displaced Palestinians — nearly one quarter of Gaza’s population.
The body said the conditions meet all three criteria for famine: over 20 percent of households facing extreme food shortages, more than 30 percent of children suffering acute malnutrition, and at least two out of every 10,000 people dying daily from 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 IPC said.
Another 1.07 million Palestinians are in “emergency” conditions, while 396,000 are in “crisis.”
The famine declaration, the first ever outside Africa, is expected to extend to central and southern Gaza by September, potentially engulfing 641,000 people. The IPC warned that without an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted aid access, avoidable deaths would “increase exponentially.”
UN human rights chief Volker Turk directly blamed Israel, calling the famine “the result of actions taken by the Israeli government.”
He added, “It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare, and the resulting deaths may also amount to the war crime of wilful killing.”
Aid organisations say Israel imposed a near-total blockade in March, relief supplies have been woefully insufficient.
Health officials in Gaza report more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid. Over 270 people, including at least 112 children, have already died from malnutrition since the war began.
The UN warns that all 320,000 children under five in Gaza are now at risk of acute malnutrition, with at least 41,000 facing life-threatening conditions. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also in urgent need of nutritional support.
“As this famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed,” the IPC said. “The time for debate and hesitation has passed. Starvation is present and rapidly spreading.”
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