A United Nations-backed monitoring group, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), has officially declared famine in Gaza City for the first time, signaling the most extreme level (Phase 5) of food insecurity amid an escalating humanitarian crisis. More than half a million people, roughly one-quarter of the population in Gaza are currently experiencing catastrophic hunger, including acute malnutrition and elevated mortality rates. Without urgent intervention, the situation is projected to worsen, with famine expected to spread to central and southern areas like Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September, potentially affecting 641,000 people.
The IPC’s assessment is backed by major UN agencies—FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO—who stress that this famine is entirely man-made and therefore reversible. Their joint statement calls for an immediate ceasefire and full, unhindered humanitarian access to halt the rapidly mounting death toll.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the crisis as a “failure of humanity” and a moral indictment. He urged all stakeholders to act now, warning that starvation isn’t a natural disaster but a consequence of collapsed systems and barriers to aid.
UNRWA’s head Philippe Lazzarini delivered equally stark language from Geneva, describing the situation as a “manufactured famine.” He highlighted a six-fold increase in child malnutrition since March and warned of mass fatalities among vulnerable children unless emergency support reaches Gaza promptly.
Israel, which controls access to the territory, has disputed the findings. Its coordinating body, COGAT, challenges IPC’s conclusions as based on flawed, Hamas-influenced data, and claims aid delivery has ramped up. However, humanitarian agencies counter that entry remains vastly insufficient amid ongoing operational barriers and escalating violence.
