UN report: Gaza faces critical risk of famine

AFP:
Gaza is at “critical risk of famine,” with 22% of the population facing an imminent humanitarian “catastrophe” after more than two months of an aid blockade by Israel, a food security monitor warned on Monday.
Gaza’s entire population of around 2.4 million people is at risk of a food crisis “or worse” by September, the UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said in a report.

“Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of famine,” the IPC said.
It said there had been a “major deterioration” in the food security situation since its last assessment in October 2024.

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people — one in five — facing starvation,” it said.

The consortium, which has developed a five-level famine warning system, found that from April 1 to May 10, 244,000 people in Gaza were in the most critical food security situation — level five, or “catastrophe/famine.”

It classified another 925,000 as level four, or “emergency.”

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned that Gaza faced “imminent risk of famine,” saying agriculture was “on the brink of total collapse.”

It called for the “immediate” lifting of the blockade, saying aid like animal feed and veterinary supplies was urgently needed to maintain precious production of items such as milk and eggs, often the last remaining food.

Israel, which launched its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023 resistance campaign led by Palestinian group Hamas, imposed its current aid blockade on March 2.

Last week, the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to expand the military operation, including the “conquest” of Gaza and the displacement of its population.

“Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border,” said the UN World Food Program’s executive director, Cindy McCain.

“It’s imperative that the international community acts urgently to get aid flowing into Gaza again. If we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.”