ROME: The United Nations warned on Thursday that some 345,000 Gazans will face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter, as aid deliveries to the Palestinian territory plummet due to Israeli military restrictions.
The alarming figure, up from the current 133,000 experiencing “catastrophic food insecurity,” was detailed in a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), compiled by UN agencies and NGOs.
The IPC report highlighted that humanitarian assistance over the summer had provided some relief, but aid deliveries sharply declined in September due to Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries to Palestinians. The volume of commercial and humanitarian supplies entering Gaza fell to its lowest since March.
With the ongoing Israeli bombardment and widespread devastation in Gaza, the IPC report predicts that the number of people facing catastrophic food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 5, could surge to 345,000—approximately 16 percent of the population—between November 2024 and April 2025.
The report warned that this “sharp decline” in aid “will profoundly limit the ability of families to feed themselves and access essential goods and services in the coming months, unless reversed.”
Arif Husain, chief economist at the UN’s World Food Programme, painted a grim picture of the situation: “Commercial supplies are down, there is large-scale displacement, infrastructure is decimated, agriculture has collapsed, and people have no money. All this is reflected in the IPC’s projection that the situation will get worse from November onwards.”
The Gaza Strip has been devastated by the ongoing Israeli airstrikes since October 7, 2023. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, echoed the risk of famine in the besieged territory.
He warned that continued Israeli bombardment and restricted humanitarian access could lead to a “catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude.”
“The risk of famine between November 2024 and April 2025 persists as long as conflict continues, and humanitarian access is restricted,” the IPC report stated. It highlighted the “extreme concentration of population in an ever-shrinking area” and the impact of intermittent access to food, shelter, and essential services, warning of the increased risk of epidemics.
An estimated 60,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children between six months and four years old are expected between November and April. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s deputy director-general, Beth Bechdol, urged immediate action: “To curb acute hunger and malnutrition, we must act now.”
Bechdol called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, emphasizing the need to restore humanitarian access and deliver critical food aid and agricultural inputs ahead of the winter crop planting season.
Meanwhile, the United States warned Israel that it may withhold portions of its military assistance unless aid deliveries to Gaza improve within 30 days.
