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Food supply

Famine Conditions Worsen in Gaza, Projected to Spread Across Territory

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have warned of catastrophic famine conditions in Gaza, affecting over 640,000 people by the end of September. The situation is marked by widespread starvation, destitution, and preventable deaths, with extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths breaching critical thresholds. Almost two years of conflict, displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access have pushed people into starvation, with access to food severely constrained. Over 39% of people in Gaza reported going days without eating, and malnutrition among children is accelerating at a catastrophic pace, with over 12,000 children identified as acutely malnourished in July alone.

Key Takeaways:

  • A new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis has confirmed famine conditions in Gaza, affecting over 640,000 people by the end of September.
  • The IPC classification marked the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East region.
  • The situation is characterized by extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths, breaching critical thresholds.
  • Almost two years of conflict, displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access have pushed people into starvation.
  • Access to food remains severely constrained, with over 39% of people in Gaza reported going days without eating.
  • Malnutrition among children is accelerating at a catastrophic pace, with over 12,000 children identified as acutely malnourished in July alone.
  • The number of children expected to be at severe risk of death from malnutrition has tripled from 14,100 to 43,400 since the last IPC analysis in May.
  • The situation is critical, with nearly one in five babies born prematurely or underweight, and the health system severely deteriorated due to lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation services, and medical supplies.

Sources:

  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
  • World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
  • UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell
  • WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain
  • FAO Director-General QU Dongyu

Statistics:

  • Over 640,000 people in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic food insecurity by the end of September.
  • 39% of people in Gaza reported going days without eating.
  • Over 12,000 children identified as acutely malnourished in July alone.
  • Number of children expected to be at severe risk of death from malnutrition has tripled from 14,100 to 43,400 since the last IPC analysis in May.
  • 98% of cropland in Gaza is damaged or inaccessible.
  • 9 of 10 people have been serially displaced from homes.
  • Only 2% of aid operations in Gaza have been successful in reaching the population.
  • Average household income in Gaza has decreased by 50% since the conflict began.
  • 1 in 5 babies born prematurely or underweight.

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