Half a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amounting to one in five of the population, are on the brink of starvation, highlighting critical food insecurity levels among the rest of the population, according to the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The risk of famine in the Gaza Strip is not only possible but increasingly likely, warns the IPC.
For over 73 days, Israel has restricted the entry of food, water, and medicine into Gaza, creating a man-made crisis with the possibility of famine being declared as early as September. The whole population of 2.1 million is enduring severe food shortages. 470,000 (22 percent) could face catastrophic levels of food insecurity if the situation remains unchanged.
Israel is weaponizing starvation, reports Doctors of the World. Starvation involves the severe deprivation of food, leading to physical suffering and death. Maximum survival time is three weeks without food, with starvation progressing through three stages based on the body’s energy sources.
Children are particularly vulnerable. Over 9,000 children have been hospitalized due to acute malnutrition since this year’s start, and the IPC predicts that nearly 71,000 children under five could suffer from acute malnutrition between now and March 2026, with 14,100 of these cases being severe.
Gaza’s entire population faces an existential threat of food shortages, with many cases of malnutrition and starvation evident due to the extreme lack of available food. The levels of food insecurity vary across the governorates of Gaza, with certain areas facing more severe hunger.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/what-is-famine-and-why-is-gaza-at-risk-of-reaching-it-soon?traffic_source=rss
