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IPC declares man-made famine in Gaza City, warning deaths will rise without urgent aid and ceasefire as malnutrition surges and conditions worsen.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warns malnourished children in Gaza face death without urgent aid.
An “entirely man-made” famine has been declared in Gaza’s largest city and surrounding areas, in what UN-backed experts describe as a sharp escalation of the territory’s humanitarian crisis. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading authority on food insecurity and malnutrition, said three key thresholds for famine had been met in Gaza City, home to an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 people.
“This famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed. The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. Any further delay – even by days – will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality,” the report noted.
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The declaration makes Gaza City only the fifth place worldwide where the IPC has formally confirmed a famine since it was established in 2004. The most recent was in Sudan last year.
The report warned that if a ceasefire is not implemented to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and if food, health, nutrition, water and sanitation services are not restored immediately, deaths will increase “exponentially”.
According to figures from Gaza’s health ministry, verified by the World Health Organization, deaths from malnutrition and starvation have surged in recent weeks. In the 22 months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, 89 deaths were attributed to hunger, mostly children. But in the first 20 days of August alone, 133 deaths were recorded, including 25 children.
The IPC report also warned that famine is likely to spread to the towns of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks, while conditions in northern Gaza- though not yet formally declared a famine- are thought to be the most severe.
Aid officials warned that further Israeli military offensives in Gaza City could have “catastrophic consequences” for civilians. Amjad Shawa, director of the Gaza NGOs Network, said, “This is the worst, the most critical stage in the entire history of Gaza, not just in this war. We are in a very complicated situation. We must get food otherwise we cannot imagine what will happen.”
The IPC report called for “urgent, comprehensive and sustained action to end the swiftly deteriorating and ever-expanding humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.”
- Location :
Israel
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