About 2.1 million Palestinians living in war-torn Gaza are at ‘critical risk’ of famine, the UN-backed food security assessment agency Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said in a report.
Residents there are facing ‘extreme food shortages’ due to the continued Israeli blockade preventing the entry of relief and other humanitarian aid, the agency said.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, is an organization run by the United Nations, donor agencies and governments of various countries, through which the international community makes an initial assessment of whether a famine is imminent in an area.
The latest IPC report, published on Monday (May 12), said that the food situation in Gaza has ‘significantly deteriorated’ since October 2024.
The report notes that while there is no famine, the situation is worsening.
It also says that a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has brought “temporary relief” to Gaza. But renewed hostility between the two adversaries is causing renewed concern among Gazans.
In particular, Israel’s continued blockade of humanitarian aid since early March has further complicated the situation.
The report also says that some 244,000 people in Gaza are currently facing “acute” food insecurity. The IPC has called for urgent action to prevent the growing risk of famine.
Since mid-March, the Israeli military has resumed operations in Gaza. Since then, it has been preventing the entry of emergency relief supplies, including food and medicine, for the past two months.
Israel says it has taken such steps to pressure the Palestinian militant group Hamas to release civilians still being held hostage.
However, the United Nations and other international bodies have condemned Israel’s continued blockade.
The United Nations has said it has already prepared humanitarian aid supplies at the Gaza border. They will be able to enter quickly if Israel does not obstruct them.
Human rights groups say Israel’s continued blockade of aid and its “starvation policy” against Gazans may amount to war crimes.
The latest assessment published by the IPC shows that one in five people in Gaza, or nearly half a million people, are facing hunger.
The UN-backed Food Security Assessment Agency fears that nearly 71,000 children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition in the 11 months to April 2026.
The report notes that many families in Gaza are resorting to “extreme measures” due to the food shortage. Some have resorted to begging, while others are collecting garbage and selling it to try to collect food.
The ‘Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’ (IPC) said that this deterioration in the situation compared to October reflects one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world surrounded by conflict.
Its analysis found that 1.95 million (1.95 million) people, or 93 percent of the population of Gaza, are living in high levels of acute food insecurity, with 244,000 facing “catastrophic” levels.
Source: BBC.