The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative supported by governments, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations, announced on Friday that famine has been determined in Gaza Governorate, where Gaza City is located. The IPC report projected that famine would spread to Deir al-Balah Governorate in central Gaza and Khan Younis Governorate in southern Gaza by the end of September. Although the IPC does not formally declare famines, its assessments often guide governments and international bodies such as the U.N. in issuing official famine declarations.
According to the IPC, more than half a million people in Gaza are currently facing Phase 5 conditions, which are described as catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Another 1.07 million people, representing 54% of the population, are experiencing Phase 4 emergency conditions. The report warned that by late September 2025, nearly 641,000 people—almost one-third of Gaza’s population—would be in catastrophic conditions, while those facing emergency levels would rise to 1.14 million. The IPC noted that these figures underestimate the true scope of the crisis, as access to North Gaza remains restricted and estimates exclude Rafah, which is largely uninhabited.
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Israeli Response and Denials
The findings were rejected by Israeli authorities. COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid to Gaza, issued a statement declaring it “firmly rejects the claim of famine in the Gaza Strip, and particularly in Gaza City,” arguing that the IPC’s conclusions were “based on partial and unreliable sources, many of them affiliated with Hamas.” Similarly, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the IPC’s assessment as “an outright lie” and “a modern blood libel.” The statement further asserted, “Israel, will continue to act responsibly, ensuring aid reaches Gaza’s civilians while destroying Hamas’s terror machine.”
Humanitarian Crisis Since the Blockade
The humanitarian situation worsened after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, followed by Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza. Reports of deaths linked to malnutrition have risen, with disturbing images of starving children and long lines for food emerging in recent months. Israel has said that the 11-week blockade, which lasted from mid-March to late May, was aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel.
By mid-May, doctors and aid workers told ABC News that food, water, medicine, and medical supplies were running dangerously low, in some cases completely depleted. In response, Israel and the United States helped establish the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to distribute aid at designated collection points. However, Palestinians and aid organizations reported that people attempting to retrieve aid were sometimes shot at, and widespread chaos persisted at distribution sites. The Israel Defense Forces later coordinated with countries such as Jordan to carry out aid airdrops, though humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, criticized the airdrops as “ineffective and dangerous.”
Growing Malnutrition and Risks to Children
The IPC report projected that at least 132,000 children under age five will face life-threatening acute malnutrition through June 2026, nearly double the estimate from May 2025. This famine marks the first time such a determination has been made in the Middle East. According to IPC standards, famine is declared when three thresholds are met: 20% of households experiencing extreme food shortages, 30% of children acutely malnourished, and either two adults or four children dying daily per 10,000 people.
During a press briefing in Geneva, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher described the situation as “a moment of collective shame,” saying, “Everyone owns this, the Gaza famine is the world’s famine. It is a famine that asks, ‘But what did you do?’ A famine that will and must haunt us all.” He added that the international community must reflect on how the crisis was allowed to unfold in real time.
Aid Efforts and Ongoing Challenges
Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna said the confirmation of famine was “absolutely horrifying yet not surprising,” describing it as “entirely preventable.” She explained that Mercy Corps has aid—including food kits, hygiene supplies, and shelter materials—ready at Gaza’s border for 160,000 people, but that Israeli restrictions have blocked delivery for months. She added that 2,700 food kits had already expired while waiting. McKenna stressed, “There is still time to save lives, but only if Israeli authorities enable humanitarian aid to flow unimpeded and at the scale needed… What we are witnessing in Gaza is a moral failing of the highest order. The world knows how to stop a famine — we just need the will to act.”
Israel has argued that hundreds of truckloads of aid are available at the border for distribution by the U.N., but officials claim the U.N. has been unable to deliver it safely. A spokesperson for COGAT disputed the accusations from Mercy Corps and others, stating, “Israel acts to allow and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, while the terrorist organization Hamas seeks to exploit the aid to strengthen its military capabilities and consolidate its control over the population. This is sometimes done under the cover of certain international aid organizations, whether knowingly or unknowingly.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denied accusations of a starvation policy in Gaza, saying, “there is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
Allegations of Aid Diversion
Israeli officials have long accused Hamas of stealing aid, a charge that Hamas denies. However, a USAID analysis reviewed by ABC News indicated there was no evidence of widespread diversion of humanitarian aid by Hamas sufficient to explain the severe hunger in Gaza. Of more than 150 reported incidents involving U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, USAID found that in most cases the responsible party could not be identified.
Gaza’s Famine Crisis
The IPC’s determination of famine in Gaza marks an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. While Israeli officials continue to deny that famine exists, international organizations, aid groups, and health experts warn that hundreds of thousands face catastrophic hunger and children are at extreme risk of death from malnutrition. With conflicting claims over aid distribution and responsibility, the situation highlights the scale of suffering in Gaza and the urgent need for effective humanitarian solutions.
