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Food supply

Famine Declared in Gaza Strip as Over Half a Million Face Starvation

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

More than 640,000 people in the Gaza Strip are expected to face famine by the end of September, with over 50% of the population, or 1.14 million people, at risk of emergency conditions. The United Nations agency for children, UNICEF, has joined the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Food Programme (WFP) in declaring famine in the Gaza Governorate after two years of war, repeated displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid. In a displacement camp in Gaza city, a mother named Inas described the desperation of her situation, wondering if the world would accept her children waking up hungry.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 640,000 people in the Gaza Strip are expected to face famine by the end of September, with over 50% of the population, or 1.14 million people, at risk of emergency conditions.
  • Famine (IPC Phase 5) has been declared in the Gaza Governorate due to extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths.
  • Mothers in Gaza are at heightened risk of death due to malnutrition, leading to babies being born too small, too weak, or too early to survive.
  • People are already dying of malnutrition in Gaza, with the catastrophic conditions projected to spread to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks.
  • The UNFPA has stated that mothers in Gaza are forced to give birth while malnourished, exhausted, and at heightened risk of death.
  • The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis was released by the FAO, UNICEF, WHO, and WFP, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Statistics:

  • 640,000 people are expected to face famine by the end of September in the Gaza Strip.
  • 1.14 million people are at risk of emergency (IPC Phase 4) conditions, which is over 50% of the population of Gaza.
  • Famine (IPC Phase 5) is triggered when three critical thresholds are breached: extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths.
  • People are already dying of malnutrition in Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian aid.

Sources:

  • The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (no date)
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (no date)
  • The United Nations agency for children (UNICEF) (no date)
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) (no date)
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) (no date)
  • Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis (no date)

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