A UN-backed panel has officially declared a famine in Gaza for the first time since the war began in 2023. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which monitors global hunger, reports that dire famine conditions now exist around Gaza City and could soon extend to southern towns, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
About 514,000 people, which is roughly a quarter to a third of Gaza’s population, are already suffering catastrophic food insecurity. Without a ceasefire or a large-scale humanitarian response, that number may swell to to641,0000 by the end of September. The report flags life-threatening levels of food shortage, widespread malnutrition and a sharp rise in starvation-related deaths.
Israel swiftly rejected the declaration, calling the findings “fabricated” and alleging Hamas-linked sources influenced the data. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the famine as a “failure of humanity” and demanded an immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Humanitarian groups and governments intensified their calls for a halt to fighting as the hunger crisis deepened. Gaza hospitals are teetering and struggling under the strain of malnourished patients, collapsing infrastructure and dwindling supplies.
This grim milestone raises the alarm and underscores the urgent need to halt suffering before more lives are lost.