The United Nations Secretary-General has characterized the confirmed famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas as a “failure of humanity.”
Antonio Guterres described the situation as a “man-made disaster” following a report by a UN-backed body, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which monitors global hunger levels and has raised the food insecurity status in parts of the territory to Phase 5, its most severe classification.
The IPC report indicates that over half a million people in Gaza are experiencing “catastrophic” conditions marked by “starvation, destitution, and death.”
Israel has disputed the report’s findings, labeling it an “outright lie” and denying the presence of starvation within the territory.
The UN maintains that Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid into Gaza, a claim that Israel refutes.
These denials stand in contrast to the assertions of over 100 humanitarian organizations, on-the-ground witnesses, various UN agencies, and several of Israel’s allies, including the UK.
The IPC emphasizes the urgent need for an “immediate, at-scale response” to prevent an “unacceptable escalation” in famine-related fatalities.
The report forecasts that between mid-August and the end of September, the famine will extend across the Gaza Strip to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
During this period, nearly a third of the population, approximately 641,000 people, are projected to face “catastrophic conditions” in IPC Phase 5, while the number of individuals facing “emergency” conditions in IPC Phase 4 is expected to rise to 1.14 million, representing 58% of the population.
Furthermore, the report projects that through June 2026, malnutrition will pose a threat to the lives of 132,000 children under the age of five.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported 271 deaths due to malnutrition, including 112 children.
The IPC has classified only four previous famines since its establishment in 2004, with the most recent occurring in Sudan in 2024.
The IPC does not have the authority to officially declare a famine; this declaration is typically made by governments or the United Nations.
Reem Tawfiq Khader, a 41-year-old mother of five from Gaza City, stated: “The declaration of famine came too late, but it is still important.
“We haven’t eaten any protein for five months. My youngest child is four years old – he doesn’t know what fruit and vegetables look or taste like.”
Rida Hijjeh, 29, reported that her five-year-old daughter Lamia’s weight has decreased from 19kg (42lbs) to 10.5kg (23lbs). She indicated that Lamia was healthy before the war and had no prior medical conditions.
“This all happened only because of the famine,” she said. “There is simply nothing for the child to eat. There are no vegetables, no fruits.”
According to Hijjeh, Lamia now experiences swelling in her legs, hair thinning, and nerve problems.
In response to the report, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher asserted that the famine was entirely preventable and that food was being blocked from entering the Palestinian territory “because of systematic obstruction by Israel.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated: “Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: ‘famine’.”
He characterized it as “not a mystery,” but rather “a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself.”
He further stated that Israel has “unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population.”
Phillipe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), said: “This is starvation by design & man-made by the Government of Israel”.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk described the famine as “the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli Government”, which has “unlawfully restricted” the entry of aid.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy described the famine as a “moral outrage.”
“The Israeli government’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe,” he wrote on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Israel does not have a policy of starvation, Israel has a policy of preventing starvation. Since the beginning of the war Israel has enabled 2 million tons of aid to enter the Gaza Strip, over one ton of aid per person.”
In recent months, Israel has faced widespread international condemnation regarding the aid situation in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, following weeks of increasing pressure, the Israeli military announced that it had airdropped humanitarian aid into Gaza—a move that was subsequently criticized by aid agencies as a “grotesque distraction.”
Additional aid drops have since taken place, but concerns have been raised regarding their safety, with reports indicating that civilians have been injured and killed by the falling pallets.
Earlier this week, BBC Verify identified 10 separate instances in which aid was dropped into areas that the Israeli military had explicitly warned people not to enter.
In addition to airdrops, Israel stated it would designate humanitarian corridors for UN convoys. However, on Tuesday, the UN cautioned that the “trickle of aid” entering Gaza was insufficient to “avert widespread starvation.”
Cogat, the Israeli military body responsible for aid coordination, reports that approximately 300 aid trucks are entering daily, but the UN asserts that 600 trucks of supplies are needed each day.
The IPC report coincides with Israel’s preparations to launch a new military offensive aimed at occupying Gaza City.
The Israeli military initiated its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others.
According to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
The majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times, with estimates indicating that over 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, and the healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene systems have collapsed.
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