Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially in famine and the crisis is likely to widen, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said, intensifying pressure on Israel to open aid access.
The IPC estimates 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are already in famine, rising to 641,000 by the end of September. Some 280,000 of them are in Gaza governorate, where famine is confirmed. It is the first famine the IPC has recorded outside Africa. Limited access prevented a formal classification for harder-hit northern areas.
“This is a famine we could have prevented had we been allowed,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said, blaming systematic obstruction of aid; UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it a “man-made disaster.” The UN rights chief Volker Türk warned starvation deaths could amount to a war crime.
Israel dismissed the IPC analysis as biased and based on partial data. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an outright lie,” while COGAT, the military unit overseeing aid flows, said the report serves Hamas propaganda and ignores Israeli delivery data.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the confirmation of famine “utterly horrifying,” urging Israel to allow unhindered food, medicine and fuel into Gaza and to halt military operations in Gaza City.
The IPC and UN agencies say famine conditions are projected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks; Rafah was excluded due to depopulation and North Gaza could not be classified for lack of access. A joint FAO-UNICEF-WFP-WHO statement urged an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access.
Israel says it does not pursue a starvation policy and points to aid it has enabled; the UN cites persistent obstacles and lawlessness that hamper distribution. The war, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, has left more than 62,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health authorities.