Gaza (TDI): The United Nations–backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) formally declared famine in Gaza yesterday, the first-ever such declaration in the Middle East.
As of August 15, conditions in northern Gaza, particularly around Gaza City, met all three internationally recognized criteria for famine:
- at least 20 percent of households suffering extreme food shortages
- over 30 percent of children under five facing acute malnutrition
- a rising death toll of at least two persons per 10,000 per day due to starvation or malnutrition-related illness.
More than 500,000 people, nearly a quarter of the Gaza population, are now entangled in catastrophic hunger, a number poised to swell to 641,000 by the end of September. Officials warn of a likely spread of famine to southern Deir al‑Balah and Khan Younis within weeks, unless urgent interventions are made.
UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher denounced the famine as “entirely man‑made,” accusing Israel of systematically obstructing aid. “Food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel,” he said.
Supporting UN agencies, including FAO, WFP, UNICEF, and WHO, all echoed the call for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded food and humanitarian access to save lives, in a joint statement released after IPC declared famine.
Read More: Hamas Response to Gaza Truce ‘Very Positive’, Says Qatar
The UN Secretary‑General called the famine a “failure of humanity,” urging the world to act before more lives are lost. “Israel has the legal obligation to provide food,” the SG said.
“Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: ‘famine’,” he added.
UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy also commented on this. “The Israeli government’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe,” he wrote on X, as reported by BBC.
Only four previous famines have been classified by the IPC since it was established in 2004, the most recent in Sudan in 2024.
The famine declaration comes when Israel is pursuing a complete takeover of Gaza, and latest reports of the Israeli media suggest that reservists have been called to start the takeover.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
