UN confirms famine in Gaza: 500,000 starving, death toll to soar
Palestine: Gaza City and its surrounding areas have officially plunged into famine, a global hunger monitor confirmed on Friday, warning that starvation will spread rapidly across the Palestinian enclave.
Two Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza in the past 24 hours, which also saw 71 people killed in Israeli attacks across the enclave, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 514,000 people – nearly one in four Palestinians in Gaza – are already in famine conditions, with the number expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September. In Gaza City alone, 280,000 people are starving following nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
This marks the first recorded famine outside Africa by the IPC, which predicts famine will engulf central and southern regions, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, within weeks.
The UN described the catastrophe as a “man-made disaster.” Secretary-General António Guterres condemned it as “a moral indictment and a failure of humanity,” urging an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian access.
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk went further, saying famine in Gaza was the direct result of Israeli actions and warned that starvation deaths could amount to war crimes.
Israel has dismissed the famine report as ‘false and biased,’ accusing the IPC of relying on Hamas-supplied data and ignoring recent aid shipments. “There is no famine in Gaza,” the Israeli foreign ministry insisted.
However, international outrage is growing. Britain, Canada, Australia, and several European states say Gaza’s humanitarian collapse has reached “unimaginable levels.” A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week revealed 65% of Americans believe the U.S. should help those starving in Gaza, a worrying sign for Israel as it relies on Washington’s military and diplomatic backing.
The Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 hostages taken, has since killed over 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
The IPC says famine means 20% of people facing extreme food shortages, one in three children acutely malnourished, and at least two people dying daily per 10,000 from starvation or related disease. By those measures, Gaza has now crossed the threshold.
Children are starving. People are dying. And the UN warns: unless aid is allowed in, the famine will spread. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 62,263 people and wounded 157,365, while 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.