The United Nations chief Antonio Gutteres, has described the famine confirmed in Gaza City and its surrounding areas as a “failure of humanity”.
Gutteres said the situation was a “man-made disaster” after a UN-backed body, which identifies hunger levels around the world, raised its food insecurity status in parts of the territory to Phase 5 – the highest and most severe.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says more than half a million people across Gaza are facing “catastrophic” conditions characterised by “starvation, destitution and death”.
The report was labelled an “outright lie” by Israel, which has denied there is starvation in the territory.
The UN says Israel is continuing to restrict the amount of aid entering Gaza, which Israel also denies.
Its denials are in direct contradiction to what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, multiple UN bodies, and several of Israel’s allies, including the UK, have said.
The IPC says that an “immediate, at-scale response” is needed or there will be an “unacceptable escalation” in famine-related deaths.
It predicts that between mid-August and the end of September, famine will expand across the strip to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
‘My youngest child doesn’t know what fruit tastes like’: Gaza residents on famine
During this period, almost a third of the population – nearly 641,000 people – are expected to face “catastrophic conditions” in IPC Phase 5, while the number of people to face “emergency” conditions in IPC Phase 4 will likely increase to 1.14 million – or 58% of the population.
The report also projects that up to June 2026, malnutrition will threaten the lives of 132,000 children aged under five.
Since the start of the war, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported that 271 people have died of malnutrition – including 112 children.
Only four previous famines have been classified by the IPC since it was established in 2004, the most recent in Sudan in 2024.
The IPC cannot officially declare famine – that is usually done by governments or the United Nations.
Reem Tawfiq Khader, 41, a mother of five from Gaza City, said: “The declaration of famine came too late, but it is still important.
“We haven’t eaten any protein for five months. My youngest child is four years old – he doesn’t know what fruit and vegetables look or taste like.”
Rida Hijjeh, 29, said her five-year-old daughter Lamia’s weight had dropped from 19kg (42lbs) to 10.5kg (23lbs). She said Lamia was healthy before the war began and had no prior illnesses.
“This all happened only because of the famine,” she said. “There is simply nothing for the child to eat. There are no vegetables, no fruits.”
