An alarming surge in food insecurity has placed over half a million people in Gaza on the brink of famine, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released on August 22, 2025. The collaborative assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that famine conditions initially concentrated in Gaza City are now spreading south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.

The report projects that by the end of September, more than 640,000 residents will endure catastrophic food shortages, with an additional 1.14 million facing emergency-level hunger and nearly 400,000 in crisis. This marks the first officially declared famine in the Middle East under the IPC's framework, underscoring a dramatic escalation in the region's humanitarian emergency.

UN agencies emphasize that the thresholds for severe food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and hunger-related mortality have been exceeded. Ongoing intensified military operations and continued restrictions on humanitarian aid access threaten to deepen the crisis further. Vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities, are at grave risk.

The situation for children is especially dire, with acute malnutrition reaching record highs. More than 12,000 children were recorded as severely malnourished in July alone, representing a sixfold increase since January. Without urgent intervention, it is estimated that by mid-2026, approximately 43,400 children and 55,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women will suffer life-threatening malnutrition.

The report details severe destruction or inaccessibility of Gaza's cropland, compounded by erratic and insufficient humanitarian aid deliveries. Gaza's healthcare system is in collapse due to shortages in food, fuel, water, and medical supplies combined with rising infectious diseases.

The UN agencies call for immediate actions encompassing a ceasefire, sustained humanitarian access, restoration of commercial supply routes, rehabilitation of healthcare services, and enhanced support for local food production to mitigate the unfolding catastrophe. They underscore that without these urgent measures, the humanitarian toll will continue to escalate dramatically.