The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, said in an alert on Tuesday that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip” due to the US-backed Israeli siege on the Palestinian territory.
The alert comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported dozens of starvation deaths over the past week, and photos of emaciated children have increased international pressure on Israel to ease the blockade.
“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,” the IPC said.
The IPC said that the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid and a ceasefire were needed to prevent further catastrophe. “Immediate action must be taken to alleviate the catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza. This includes scaling up the flow of goods, restoring basic services, and ensuring safe, unimpeded access to sufficient life-saving assistance. None of this is possible unless there is a ceasefire,” the monitor said.
The IPC also criticized the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which established four aid distribution sites in Gaza that have turned into death traps for hungry Palestinians and have done nothing to feed people in northern Gaza.
“Reaching these distribution points requires long, high-risk journeys, with unequal access across governorates. Operating on a first-come, first-served basis, the most vulnerable groups are largely unable to access this food,” the IPC said.
The IPC’s alert stops short of a formal famine declaration since the group lacks access to make that determination, but independent experts say it’s clear famine is already taking place. “Just as a family physician can often diagnose a patient she’s familiar with based on visible symptoms without having to send samples to the lab and wait for results, so too we can interpret Gaza’s symptoms. This is famine,” Alex de Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine,” told The Associated Press.
In response to the growing international outcry, Israel has announced several steps to slightly increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the UN and other aid groups say much more is needed, including a ceasefire, to bring real relief to the starving population.
