With Israel’s crushing blockade enforced by land, air and sea, Gaza City is teetering on the edge of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. A recent IPC report, backed by the United Nations, describes this crisis as a “man-made” famine. The report highlights an urgent need for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict, warning that without immediate action, avoidable deaths will “increase exponentially.”
Tom Fletcher, our UN emergency relief coordinator, called on the international community to heed gut IPC report. He too bemoaned the unprecedented levels of urgent and critical need developing in Gaza. He emphasized that what the report shows is a concerted effort to block. This clearance has led to food shipments literally stacking up at borders, exacerbating the crisis.
The IPC report indicates that the hunger crisis in Gaza is severe, with two more deaths due to starvation reported on Thursday. This raises the overall number of malnutrition-related deaths to at least 271, including 112 children. The reality, nearly two years into the war, is more dire. Protecting them from the threat of future loss of life is becoming more urgent and alarming.
“Read it in sorrow and anger, not as words and numbers but names and lives. Be in no doubt that this irrefutable testimony. It is a famine, the Gaza famine. The famine that we could have prevented if we were allowed. Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel.” – Tom Fletcher
In response to these alarming reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that nobody is starving in Gaza. His claim is in sharp opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that there are “real starvation” taking place within the area.
The IPC’s recent findings, based on a report from August 2023, represent the first official acknowledgment of famine conditions in the Middle East. Given the nature of this designation, the new report calls for an immediate ceasefire, allowing humanitarian assistance to flow and putting an end to the ongoing suffering. It calls attention to the fact that, as a man-made crisis, the famine can be stopped and reversed with the proper support.
“As this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed.” – The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation as “a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself.” He underscored that Israel, as the occupying power, has unambiguous obligations under international law. Those obligations involve guaranteeing the safety of the population—including them receiving food and medical supplies.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population.” – António Guterres
Since the start of this current conflict, Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza, resulting in more and more suffering for civilians. The IPC report highlights a somewhat alarming trend, namely that humanitarian assistance has sharply decreased over the past few months.
In this, Hamas finds criticism for misusing humanitarian goods’ supplies within Gaza. This blatant exploitation directly hampers our ability to get the aid where it’s needed the most. The perfect storm of these factors has led to a deepening crisis that endangers countless lives throughout our region.
“We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity. No more excuses.” – António Guterres
The humanitarian community has answered with a growing chorus of urgent calls for action to meet these critical needs. As calls for humanitarian aid continue, international attention remains intensely focused on Gaza. Hope remains that this coordinated effort can deliver the necessary relief to those currently suffering from malnutrition and starvation.
