GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations confirmed Friday that famine has officially broken out across the Gaza Strip, the first declaration of its kind in the Middle East, as international organizations warn of a rapidly accelerating humanitarian catastrophe under Israel’s ongoing genocide.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global famine monitoring system, reported that more than 500,000 people in Gaza City are already facing “catastrophic” levels of hunger, the highest classification, meaning they are suffering starvation, death, and acute malnutrition.
Over one million others are at “emergency” levels, with the famine expected to deepen and spread into Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis by late September if nothing changes.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation as “a man-made disaster and a failure of humanity,” emphasizing that Israel, as the occupying power, bears full responsibility under international law for allowing food and medical supplies into Gaza.
“People are starving. Children are dying. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and full, unhindered humanitarian access, now, not tomorrow,” Guterres said.
The World Food Program, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization issued a joint statement confirming famine conditions, warning that the crisis is worsening by the hour.
