UNITED NATIONS, (Prime Africa) – Gaza City and surrounding areas are now officially in famine, and the crisis is set to worsen unless aid access improves, according to a stark new global hunger assessment released Friday.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – a UN-backed hunger monitoring body – said nearly 514,000 people, almost one-quarter of Gaza’s population, are experiencing famine. That figure is expected to climb to 641,000 by the end of September if current conditions persist.
The IPC determined that Gaza governorate, covering Gaza City and its northern areas, is already in famine, marking the first time in history famine has been recorded outside Africa. It warned the conditions will likely spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis within weeks.
“It is a famine that we could have prevented had we been allowed,” said UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. “Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel.”
Israel Rejects Famine Report
Israel has dismissed the findings as “false and biased,” insisting that the IPC relied on incomplete data provided by Hamas and ignored recent aid deliveries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the report an “outright lie,” claiming Israel has facilitated more than 2 million tons of aid into Gaza – “over one ton per person.”
“Israel does not have a policy of starvation,” Netanyahu said. “Israel has a policy of preventing starvation.”
The U.S. has taken a cautious line. While President Donald Trump recently acknowledged “many people are starving” in Gaza, the State Department accused Hamas of manipulating aid and spreading a false narrative.
UN: A “Man-Made Disaster”
Under IPC standards, famine is declared when 20% of the population faces extreme food shortages, one in three children suffer acute malnutrition, and deaths from starvation or disease exceed two per 10,000 daily.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gaza’s famine a “man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself.” He urged for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian access.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk added that deaths from starvation could amount to a war crime – a charge Israel rejects.
Diplomatic Fallout Grows
The IPC, backed by the EU, Germany, Britain, and Canada, has previously only declared famines in Somalia (2011), South Sudan (2017 and 2020), and Sudan (2024).
This latest declaration has triggered a wave of international concern. Britain described the findings as “utterly horrifying” and urged Israel to allow unimpeded access for food, fuel, and medicine. Canada, Australia, and several European nations also warned that Gaza’s humanitarian situation had reached “unimaginable levels.”
Meanwhile, Israeli media reflected the political divide: Haaretz highlighted the severity of famine, while Israel Hayom, ynet, and N12 stressed the government’s rejection of the IPC findings and the risk of diplomatic fallout.
U.S. Public Opinion Shifts
Israel’s position is increasingly sensitive given its reliance on U.S. diplomatic and military support. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 65% of Americans believe Washington should do more to help starving civilians in Gaza.
Two Years of War
The Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and seized about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.
With food shortages now deepening into famine, aid groups warn that without immediate action, Gaza faces a catastrophic escalation of human suffering.
About The Author
