Gaza is facing a severe hunger crisis as the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has pushed nearly half a million people to the brink of starvation, with 96% of the population struggling to find enough food. A report warns that only an end to the conflict and unrestricted humanitarian access can prevent a full-blown famine. Conditions are dire, with people trading clothes for food and living in unsanitary, overcrowded camps. Despite some improvements in food deliveries, the relentless fighting and destruction have left the entire population vulnerable, making the situation increasingly desperate.

According to a study (pdf below) released Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), there is still a significant risk of starvation in Gaza, and the situation “remains catastrophic” as Israel and Hamas’ war continues.

According to the research, nearly half a million people are expected to encounter catastrophic levels of hunger, which is the most severe level on the IPC scale and involves “an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.”

The analysis predicts that 96% of Gaza’s population, or more than 2 million people, will endure crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of food insecurity by the end of September.

“A high risk of famine persists across the whole of the Gaza Strip as long as conflict continues and humanitarian access is restricted,” the report said. “Only the cessation of hostilities in conjunction with sustained humanitarian access to the entire Gaza Strip can reduce the risk of a famine occurring in the Gaza Strip.”

“The last few months have demonstrated that food and humanitarian access and malnutrition prevalence can change very quickly, the risk of epidemics is increasing and eight months of extreme pressure on the lives of the population make them much more vulnerable to collapse into famine,” said the report, compiled by the IPC’s Famine Review Committee.

“Given the unpredictability of the ongoing conflict and humanitarian access challenges, any significant change may lead to a very rapid deterioration into Famine,” the report said.

The report’s findings support statements from persons on the ground about the terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Nearly nine months of Israeli assault and siege have decimated the healthcare system, wreaked havoc on water infrastructure, and produced catastrophic living circumstances for the whole population of over 2.2 million.

Increased Israeli attacks on the southern city of Rafah have resulted in huge displacement and an outbreak of infectious diseases in the sprawling tent camps, where residents lack access to basic sanitation. With no prospects of an approaching truce to end the conflict, relief workers warn that civilians’ suffering will only worsen.

“The latest data shows that to be able to purchase food, more than half of the households had to exchange their clothes for money and one-third resorted to picking up trash to sell,” the report detailed in its “special snapshot.” “More than half also reported that, often, they do not have any food to eat in the house, and over 20 percent go entire days and nights without eating.”

The study noted minor improvements in the situation in northern Gaza, where the IPC warned of impending starvation in March. According to Tuesday’s assessment, despite an increase in food supply in March and April, “the available evidence does not indicate that Famine is currently occurring” in the north. However, it notes that the possibility exists throughout the Gaza Strip.

Although there was some progress in Gaza’s south at the time, the situation deteriorated once Israel launched military operations in Rafah, according to the report. The Rafah gate, a critical route for humanitarian aid to Gaza, has been blocked since early May, with only a few other land crossings still open. Humanitarian assistance workers continue to incur significant risks in providing vitally needed aid to Gaza. Israel’s battle against Hamas has destroyed the majority of the infrastructure that supports humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

“The humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip continues to shrink and the ability to safely deliver assistance to populations is dwindling,” the report’s special snapshot said. “The recent trajectory is negative and highly unstable. Should this continue, the improvements seen in April could be rapidly reversed.”

The report also “encourages all stakeholders who use the IPC for high-level decision-making to understand that whether a Famine classification is confirmed or not does not in any manner change the fact that extreme human suffering is without a doubt currently ongoing in the Gaza Strip.”

It “does not change the immediate humanitarian imperative to address this civilian suffering by enabling complete, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip, including through ceasing hostilities,” the report continued.

‘Specter of famine continues to hang over Gaza’

The United States, Israel’s closest friend, has frequently urged the Netanyahu government to do more to solve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. US President Joe Biden cautioned Israel in early April that it must take quick tangible steps or risk changes in US policy. So far, there have been no such policy adjustments.

A representative for the US humanitarian agency USAID stated in reaction to the findings that “the scale of food insecurity in Gaza is staggering.”

“More than 2 million people are in need of food assistance And the inability of food to get into the hands of people and the ongoing insecurity is driving that need,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the spokesperson, “civilians and aid workers must be protected; attacks on hospitals, health facilities, ambulances, water services, civilian telecoms services, and IDP shelter locations must stop; and the health, water, and sanitation system must be strengthened in order to avert worse outcomes.”

“Since the conflict first began unfolding, USAID has worked relentlessly to increase assistance into Gaza and we will continue to do so,” they said.

“The IPC report … obviously it confirmed what we all know and what we’ve been dealing with for some time is that the humanitarian situation on the ground is extremely dire. That’s why we have been so incredibly focused on alleviating that situation,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday.

“We can’t wait for a ceasefire, obviously, even as we try to get one and we need to do more to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do … through working to resolve these issues between the government of Israel, the Israeli security forces, and the UN humanitarian agencies.”

Meanwhile, humanitarian workers have warned that the situation in Gaza is unsustainable.

“In the north, when we raised the famine alarm, we were able to get some more trucks in. And so for the moment, it is better. Not great — I don’t want to give false illusions here that this is all hunky dory because it’s not,” said World Food Programme Director Cindy McCain. “There’s still a great need in the north, and it’s complex. It’s complex for this reason. It’s not just food they need. They need water, they need sanitation, they need health care. All of those things contribute to famine.”

A humanitarian official said, “I believe we will quickly return to the trajectory we saw in the north. The magnitude will be far larger because there were 300,000 people, give or take, in northern Gaza. There are already one and a half to 1.8 million people in the southern middle areas who are in a similar situation.”

Kate Phillips-Barrasso of Mercy Corps remarked, “The population cannot bear these sufferings much longer. The toll of military action has been far too high, and we fear that unless drastic improvements are made to the delivery of humanitarian goods, the death toll will rise as people succumb to months of deprivation.

“The humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, and the specter of famine continues to hang over Gaza,” said Phillips-Barrasso. “Despite some aid getting in, the glaring contradictions remain. Commercial trucks are allowed passage, yet humanitarian aid is limited, scrutinized at the border, and, when permitted to cross, typically only reaches some city centers without proper security.”

“Compounding the suffering is oppressive summer heat, no access to clean water, and increasing exposure to garbage and sewage. This lethal equation will undoubtedly lead to acute suffering and mortality,” she said.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), advocated on Friday for an “uninterrupted, regular, coordinated, and meaningful flow of humanitarian assistance.”

Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that the latest FAO report highlights the persistent issue of world hunger, with Africa facing the most significant challenges. Despite progress in some regions, hunger rates are projected to rise in Africa by 2030.

Read the report below:

IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_MaySept2024_Special_Snapshot