Saturday, 21 December, 2024
The entire Gaza Strip teeters on the brink of famine, grappling with emergency levels of hunger as relentless Israeli military operations exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and hinder aid access, a global monitoring organization reported on Thursday.
Approximately 1.84 million people across the Palestinian territory are enduring acute food insecurity, with nearly 133,000 individuals facing the most dire and "catastrophic" conditions, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). While this marks a decrease from around 343,000 people experiencing catastrophic hunger during the last update in June, the IPC anticipates that these numbers may double in the coming months.
Though there has been a slight increase in food entering Gaza since May, the IPC noted that humanitarian access began to dwindle again in September. Israel's latest evacuation orders have profoundly disrupted humanitarian operations, forcing repeated displacements that have steadily diminished people's ability to secure food, water, and medicine. This has deepened the vulnerability of entire communities, leaving them in a state of despair.
"The risk of famine persists across the Gaza Strip. Given the recent surge in hostilities, there are growing fears that this worst-case scenario may come to pass," the IPC summarized, reflecting the gravity of the situation. Acute malnutrition is now alarmingly prevalent, ten times higher than before the conflict, with an estimated 60,000 cases of acute malnutrition among young children expected between September 2024 and August 2025.
Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis as conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in the northern Gaza Strip August 14, 2024.
The new analysis, conducted between September 30 and October 4, does not capture the most recent developments on the ground. For the past two weeks, the Israeli military has launched an offensive against Hamas militants in Jabalia in northern Gaza, seemingly isolating the region entirely from the rest of the Gaza Strip, as reported by the United Nations human rights office on Monday.
From October 2 to October 15, no food aid entered northern Gaza, and when a mere "trickle" of assistance was allowed in, all essential supplies for survival were nearly depleted. The UN’s humanitarian agency reported that food stocks are dwindling, and most bakeries may have to shut down within days without additional fuel.
Israel maintains that it does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid. However, Palestinian health officials have urgently called for a humanitarian corridor to three hospitals in northern Gaza, which are running dangerously low on food and medicine, pushing them to the brink of collapse as Israeli troops have effectively cut off the area.
The IPC is a collaborative initiative involving UN agencies, national governments, and aid organizations that establishes the global standard for measuring food crises. Its most severe warning, Phase 5, encompasses two levels: catastrophe and famine. A famine can be declared if at least 20% of the population in an area suffers extreme food shortages, with at least 30% of children acutely malnourished and two individuals out of every 10,000 succumbing daily to starvation or malnutrition-related diseases.
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The entire Gaza Strip teeters on the brink of famine, grappling with emergency levels of hunger as relentless Israeli military operations exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and hinder aid access, a global monitoring organization reported on Thursday.
Approximately 1.84 million people across the Palestinian territory are enduring acute food insecurity, with nearly 133,000 individuals facing the most dire and "catastrophic" conditions, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). While this marks a decrease from around 343,000 people experiencing catastrophic hunger during the last update in June, the IPC anticipates that these numbers may double in the coming months.
Though there has been a slight increase in food entering Gaza since May, the IPC noted that humanitarian access began to dwindle again in September. Israel's latest evacuation orders have profoundly disrupted humanitarian operations, forcing repeated displacements that have steadily diminished people's ability to secure food, water, and medicine. This has deepened the vulnerability of entire communities, leaving them in a state of despair.
"The risk of famine persists across the Gaza Strip. Given the recent surge in hostilities, there are growing fears that this worst-case scenario may come to pass," the IPC summarized, reflecting the gravity of the situation. Acute malnutrition is now alarmingly prevalent, ten times higher than before the conflict, with an estimated 60,000 cases of acute malnutrition among young children expected between September 2024 and August 2025.
Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis as conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in the northern Gaza Strip August 14, 2024.
The new analysis, conducted between September 30 and October 4, does not capture the most recent developments on the ground. For the past two weeks, the Israeli military has launched an offensive against Hamas militants in Jabalia in northern Gaza, seemingly isolating the region entirely from the rest of the Gaza Strip, as reported by the United Nations human rights office on Monday.
From October 2 to October 15, no food aid entered northern Gaza, and when a mere "trickle" of assistance was allowed in, all essential supplies for survival were nearly depleted. The UN’s humanitarian agency reported that food stocks are dwindling, and most bakeries may have to shut down within days without additional fuel.
Israel maintains that it does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid. However, Palestinian health officials have urgently called for a humanitarian corridor to three hospitals in northern Gaza, which are running dangerously low on food and medicine, pushing them to the brink of collapse as Israeli troops have effectively cut off the area.
The IPC is a collaborative initiative involving UN agencies, national governments, and aid organizations that establishes the global standard for measuring food crises. Its most severe warning, Phase 5, encompasses two levels: catastrophe and famine. A famine can be declared if at least 20% of the population in an area suffers extreme food shortages, with at least 30% of children acutely malnourished and two individuals out of every 10,000 succumbing daily to starvation or malnutrition-related diseases.
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