The IPC report found that 477,000 people—about 22 % of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants—now face starvation, while more than 1 million others have only sporadic access to food.
It warned of a “high risk of famine” if the blockade and fighting continue.
Israel rejects findings
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the assessment, saying the IPC had previously overstated hunger levels and under‑counted aid deliveries during a two‑month ceasefire that ended in mid‑March.
Jerusalem insists it will keep border crossings closed until a new U.S.‑designed aid‑distribution system excludes Hamas, which Israel accuses of diverting supplies.
Kitchens running dry
With shops empty and farmland devastated, Gaza residents queue for hours at the few communal kitchens still handing out lentils or pasta.
“We wait four or five hours in the sun and often go home with nothing,” said Riham Sheikh al‑Eid in Khan Younis.
Aid agencies say stocks are nearly exhausted and many kitchens are shutting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the number of malnourished children seeking treatment has doubled since February, even as therapeutic supplies run out.
Criteria for famine
The IPC declares famine when at least two of three thresholds are met: 20 % of households face extreme food shortages, 30 % of children suffer acute malnutrition, and daily deaths reach two adults—or four children—per 10,000 people.
Monday’s report said the first threshold has already been crossed; the others could be breached if the blockade persists.
Food‑security analysts note that famine declarations lag reality because starvation deaths take time to appear in data.
“Starvation is already being used as a weapon of war,” said Chris Newton of the International Crisis Group.
Aid stand‑off
The United States says its proposed mechanism to route aid through four secure hubs is “steps away” from launch, but the U.N. and NGOs have refused to join, arguing it would deepen displacement and politicize relief.
Israel says the blockade is leverage for the release of hostages still held by Hamas after the militants’ Oct. 7 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, over half women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Damage to agriculture
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 75 % of Gaza’s farmland is damaged and two‑thirds of irrigation wells are out of action.
“Destruction of food production is pushing hundreds of thousands closer to famine,” FAO deputy director Beth Bechdol said.
Humanitarian groups urged governments to pressure Israel to reopen crossings. “Silence in the face of deliberate starvation is complicity,” said Mahmoud Alsaqqa of Oxfam.
On Monday, Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander as part of negotiations with the United States for a ceasefire and the delivery of food and aid to the enclave, under an agreement with the U.S. administration.
(jh)
Source: AP News, BBC, UN News