The United Nations has officially declared a famine in the Gaza governorate, a situation described by officials as a “man-made catastrophe” resulting from the ongoing conflict and obstruction of humanitarian aid.
The declaration comes as Israeli military operations intensify, particularly in Gaza City, leading to further civilian casualties and mass displacement amid the devastating famine.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), considered the global standard for assessing nutritional crises, announced on Friday that famine is affecting 500 000 people in the Gaza governorate.
The IPC, which requires thresholds of extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths to be met, warned, “This famine is entirely man-made, and it can be halted and reversed. The time for debate and hesitation has passed; starvation is present and rapidly spreading.”
The UN and various aid agencies have pointed to the restriction of aid as a primary cause. In a joint statement, the Food and Agriculture Organization, Unicef, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization said they have “collectively and consistently highlighted the extreme urgency for an immediate and full-scale humanitarian response, given the escalating hunger-related deaths, rapidly worsening levels of acute malnutrition and plummeting levels of food consumption”.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), stated it was “time for the government of Israel to stop denying the famine it has created in Gaza”. He added, “All of those who have influence must use it with determination & a sense of moral duty.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as “an outright lie”. However, the UN’s human rights agency suggested the famine may amount to a war crime due to it being a direct result of Israel’s actions.
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On the ground: desperation and continued bombardment
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that 289 people, including 115 children, have died from malnutrition and starvation. Munir al-Bursh, the director of the ministry, said, “We are in a race against time to address famine, as the humanitarian response must be massive.”
Concurrent with the deepening hunger crisis, Israeli military strikes continue. On Monday, an Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis killed ten Palestinians, including four journalists and a firefighter. The deceased journalists were identified as Hussam al-Masri, Mohammad Salama, Maryam Abu Daqqa, and Moaz Abu Taha. The attack targeted the top floor of the emergency building.
The spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, called the situation in Gaza City’s Sabra and Zeitun neighbourhoods “absolutely catastrophic”, describing the “complete levelling of entire residential blocks”. Displaced resident Ahmad Jundiyeh, 35, expressed the pervasive fear: “We are trapped here, living in fear, with nowhere to go. There’s no safety anywhere in Gaza. Movement now leads to death.”
As Israel vows to press on with its offensive into Gaza City, thousands of families have been seen fleeing. “Just this morning, more than 500 to 600 families left, and yesterday thousands left,” said Mahmud Abu Saqer, 24. “The sounds of explosions since morning are forcing everyone to leave.” This is happening while the declared famine grips the very same area.
Image via CBS News.
