Image Source: Al Monitor
Occupied Gaza Strip – Famine has been declared in Gaza City after nearly two years of Israeli aggression. Humanitarian monitors confirmed that the population had crossed famine thresholds, with Palestinian families enduring catastrophic hunger, mass displacement and mounting deaths.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that as of mid-August 2025, more than half a million people were already living in famine conditions. It warned that this was only the beginning of a wider crisis.
Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began, with July recording the highest casualty rates to date. Nearly 800,000 people have been displaced since March, many forced to flee repeatedly into overcrowded and unsafe shelters.
Access to food and supplies has been almost entirely cut off. Humanitarian and commercial deliveries stopped in March and April, with only a fraction resuming later in the year.
Even when food did reach civilians, most of it failed to do so due to restrictions and insecurity. Local production has collapsed, leaving Palestinians almost entirely dependent on insufficient aid.
“After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death,” the IPC reported.
An Israeli-Made Famine
The famine has been described as entirely preventable. Analysts stressed that it was not driven by natural causes but created by Israeli policies that blocked food, medical care and livelihoods.
The political nature of the crisis is explicit, this famine is not accidental, but the direct result of deliberate Israeli actions and Western support.
The Famine Review Committee (FRC), which has repeatedly assessed Gaza during the genocide, said famine could still be halted if decisive steps were taken immediately.
It warned that each day of delay would deepen the crisis, pushing more Palestinian families into starvation.
“This Famine is entirely man-made and can be halted and reversed. Starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. Any further delay, even by days, will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality”.
Collapse of Food Systems
The IPC reported that Gaza’s food systems have collapsed almost completely. More than 98 per cent of farmland has been destroyed or rendered inaccessible, livestock has been decimated, and fishing activities have been banned.
With local production gone, Palestinians are left dependent on aid flows that remain heavily restricted.
Humanitarian deliveries that did enter Gaza were described as a fraction of what was required. Most were intercepted before reaching their intended recipients, while insecurity around distribution points created life-threatening risks for families.
With bakeries closed and community kitchens forced to cut back, food prices have soared, leaving what little was available unaffordable.
“The complete halt of humanitarian and commercial food deliveries… coupled with the collapse of local food production, has led to extreme food shortages. Aid deliveries have been severely disrupted, with 87 per cent of UN trucks reportedly intercepted, reflecting the extreme desperation of the population”.
The IPC added that food insecurity is worsening at an unprecedented rate. Palestinian families are skipping meals, children are going entire days without food, and adults are scavenging through rubble to survive. Hunger is not only widespread but intensifying at a pace rarely seen.
“Food security has deteriorated at an unprecedented pace. The proportion of households experiencing extreme hunger doubled between May and July, surpassing the famine threshold in Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates. Most households now report skipping meals or going whole days without food, reflecting the severity of the crisis”.
Catastrophe Spreading South
The famine is not expected to remain confined to Gaza City. The IPC projected that by the end of September, both Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis would also cross famine thresholds, pulling hundreds of thousands more into life-threatening conditions.
This spread would mark a dramatic escalation, turning a dire situation into a nationwide catastrophe.
The report estimated that nearly one in three people across the Gaza Strip will soon be facing famine-level hunger. At the same time, over one million others will sink deeper into emergency levels of food insecurity.
“Between mid-August and the end of September 2025, conditions are expected to further worsen with famine projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Nearly a third of the population (641,000 people) are expected to face catastrophic conditions. At the same time, those in Emergency will likely rise to 1.14 million”.
Children and mothers are bearing the brunt of the collapse. Acute malnutrition has doubled since May, with tens of thousands of children facing severe hunger and many women unable to feed their infants.
These groups, already the most vulnerable, now face death on a massive scale without urgent intervention.
“132,000 children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, including over 41,000 severe cases at heightened risk of death. Nearly 55,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women will require an urgent nutrition response”.
