Due to the wide-reaching impacts of Israel’s war and its ongoing blocking of aid deliveries, famine is projected to occur anytime between now and May 2024 in northern Gaza, according to a new report published today by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The rest of the Gaza Strip is also at the risk of famine if hostilities do not cease and humanitarian assistance at scale does not reach those most in need.
"This is an entirely manmade disaster," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in reaction to the findings. And “the report makes clear that it can be halted”, he noted, stressing this showed the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system – anywhere, anytime”, he added.
Guterres also said the report’s findings on food insecurity in Gaza were an appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians.
“I call on the Israeli authorities to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout to Gaza and for the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts,” Guterres said.
“We must act now to prevent the unthinkable, the unacceptable, and the unjustifiable.”
The new data indicates that the entire population in the Gaza Strip is facing high levels of acute food insecurity classified in IPC Phases 3 (Crisis), 4 (Emergency) or 5 (Catastrophe). 1.1 million people – half of the population - in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity between March and July 2024 (IPC Phase 5).
According to the IPC report, virtually all households are skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat.
“In the northern governorates, in nearly two-thirds of the households, people went entire days and nights without eating at least 10 times in the last 30 days,” the report said. “In the southern governorates, this applies to one-third of the households.”
Recent data shows that, in the northern governorates, one in three children under the age of two is acutely malnourished. Nutrition screenings conducted in February indicate acute malnutrition rates among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled since January.
“This updated IPC analysis validates what we all feared – a deepening and rapid deterioration of the food security situation in Gaza. Half of the population are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol.
“This reaches the highest ever recorded level, unlike anything we have ever seen before. In December, the previous IPC report signaled that famine was likely. If no steps are taken to cease hostilities and to provide more humanitarian access, famine is imminent,” Bechdol said.
“It could already be occurring. Immediate access is needed to facilitate delivery of urgent and critical assistance at scale.”
UN agencies have been warning of the risk of a famine in the Gaza Strip since December because too few aid trucks are being allowed into the territory past Israeli security checkpoints.
“Famine is a reality,” said Matthew Hollingworth, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director ad interim for Palestine on Monday. “We’re seeing the highest hunger level of anywhere else in the world in terms of total numbers.”
While children are starving to death due to lack of food, intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement.
“It’s all manmade. It’s shocking how bad things have gotten so quickly, because WFP and other humanitarians can’t reach starving people. It’s a dark mark on the world’s inability to stop this from happening,”, Hollingworth said.
Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 31,700 Palestinians and wounded more than 73,700 others. 70 percent of the fatalities are reportedly children and women.
Some 1.7 million people – more than 75 percent of the total population of Gaza - are displaced due to the attacks by the Israeli military or Israeli evacuation orders. Among those uprooted from their homes by the war are 1 million children, including some 17,000 unaccompanied or separated boys and girls.
The bombardment, ground operations and siege of the entire population, combined with the restriction of humanitarian access and the blockade of aid deliveries, have led to a humanitarian catastrophe, increasing the risk of famine every day.
Meanwhile, Israel's allies - including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany - continue to provide political and military support for the war on the civilian population that is characterized by widespread war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law by Israeli forces.
These violations include use of starvation as a method of warfare, denial of humanitarian aid, collective punishment of the civilian population, indiscriminate killings of civilians, disproportionate attacks, forced displacement, torture, enforced disappearance and further atrocity crimes.
Further information
Full text: Famine Review: Gaza Strip, March 2024 - Conclusions and Recommendations, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, report, published March 18, 2024
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Famine_Committee_Review_Report_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf
Full text: Gaza Strip : IPC Acute Food Insecurity Analysis 15 February - 15 July 2024 - Special Brief, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, report, published March 18, 2024
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf
Full text: Projected famine in Gaza: FAO urges immediate access to deliver urgent and critical assistance at scale, FAO press release, published March 18, 2024
https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/projected-famine-in-gaza--fao-urges-immediate-access-to-deliver-urgent-and-critical-assistance-at-scale/en
Full text: Famine imminent in northern Gaza, new report warns, WFP press release, published March 18, 2024
https://www.wfp.org/news/famine-imminent-northern-gaza-new-report-warns