The United Nations has officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, warning that over half a million people are enduring “catastrophic” hunger after nearly two years of relentless conflict.
The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of global experts tasked with monitoring hunger crises, confirmed on Friday, August 22, that famine conditions exist in Gaza City. The crisis is projected to worsen, spreading to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis by the end of September, leaving nearly one-third of Gaza’s population on the brink of 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.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was “entirely preventable,” accusing Israel of “systematic obstruction” of aid deliveries. “Food stacks up at borders because of deliberate restrictions. This famine should haunt us all,” he said.
Israel’s foreign ministry, however, rejected the report, calling it “based on Hamas lies laundered through organisations with vested interests,” and insisting “there is no famine in Gaza.”
The IPC report highlighted that 98% of Gaza’s cropland is damaged or inaccessible, livestock has been decimated, fishing is banned, and the health and water systems have collapsed. Aid supplies, completely banned in March and only partially allowed in since May, remain grossly insufficient.
UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the use of starvation as “a war crime,” while Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed calls for “an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and unfettered humanitarian access.”
Hamas has also appealed to the UN and Security Council to lift the siege and allow unrestricted flow of food, medicine, water, and fuel.
The Gaza famine marks one of the most severe humanitarian collapses in modern history.
