GAZA STRIP – A United Nations-backed assessment says almost half a million Palestinians across Gaza are still facing “catastrophic levels” of hunger and that a “high risk” of famine persists as long as the Israel-Hamas war continues and humanitarian access is restricted.
However, the report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says the available evidence does not indicate a famine is currently occurring in the north of the Palestinian territory.
The previous assessment in March had projected that one was imminent in the area.
The amount of food and other aid allowed into the north has increased since then, and nutrition, water, sanitation and health services have been stepped up, the report says.
But it warns that food availability in the south and central Gaza has been significantly reduced due to the closure of the Rafah border crossing and the displacement of more than one million people from the city of Rafah since early May, when Israel launched a ground operation there.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said the report “paints a stark picture of ongoing hunger” and showed the critical importance of sustained humanitarian access.
UN officials have blamed the situation on Israeli military restrictions on aid deliveries, the ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of law and order.
Israel insists there are no limits to the amount of aid that can be delivered into and across Gaza and blames UN agencies for failing to distribute supplies. It also accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 37,650 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The IPC – a global initiative by UN agencies, aid groups and governments – is the primary mechanism the international community uses to conclude whether a famine is happening.
Households are classified as IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) if they experience an extreme lack of food, starvation and exhaustion of coping strategies.
For a famine to be officially declared in a specific area, there must be evidence that at least 20% of households are in Phase 5, 30% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and there are two deaths for every 10,000 inhabitants, or four child deaths out of 10,000 children per day, “due to outright starvation or to the interaction of malnutrition and disease”.
In March, the IPC classified 677,000 Gazans – or 30% of the 2.2 million population – as being in Phase 5, including 165,000 people trapped in northern Gaza. It also projected that a famine was “imminent” in the north by the end of May because of conflict and the near-complete lack of humanitarian access.
Israel rejected that analysis, questioning the IPC’s transparency, methodology and sources of information.
The IPC assessment published on Tuesday says more than 495,000 Gazans, including 60,000 in the north, are still facing catastrophic hunger.
“In contrast with the assumptions made for the projection period (March – July 2024), the amount of food and non-food commodities allowed into the northern governorates increased,” it says.
“Additionally, the response in the nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health sectors was scaled up. In this context, the available evidence does not indicate that famine is currently occurring.”
Although an estimated 20% of households in the north are in Phase 5, the thresholds of acute malnutrition and mortality have not been passed, it explains.
The World Health Organization said earlier this month that 32 deaths attributed to malnutrition, including 28 among children under five years old, had been reported by local health officials.
The IPC report warns that there continues to be “a high and sustained risk of famine across the whole Gaza Strip”, and that the improvement in April and May “should not allow room for complacency”.
The WFP said the “slight improvement” seen in the IPC report showed the difference that greater access could make, but stressed that the situation was “still desperate”.
“To truly turn the corner and prevent famine, adequate and sustained levels of humanitarian assistance must be provided,” it added. (BBC)
