Famine threatens in the north of the Gaza Strip, in a context of intensification of Israeli army operations and an almost total cessation of food aid, warns a UN report.
The Integrated Food Security Classification Framework (IPC) report warns of “an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine, due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip.” “The famine thresholds may have already been crossed or will be crossed in the near future,” this report estimates.
On October 17, a previous IPC report, the result of the expert work of NGOs and UN agencies including that for Food and Agriculture (FAO) based in Rome, estimated that some 345,000 Gazans would face hunger at a “catastrophic” level between November and April 2025, or 16% of the population. This assessment corresponds to the highest level of the Integrated Food Security Classification Framework, level 5 (3: crisis, 4: emergency, 5: disaster).
However, since then, the situation has deteriorated in the north of the Gaza Strip with the collapse of food systems, a drop in humanitarian aid and a critical situation in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene, underlines the report. “We can therefore estimate that hunger, malnutrition and excess mortality due to malnutrition and diseases are increasing rapidly,” he says.
According to the report, the number of aid shipments allowed into the Gaza Strip is now at its lowest level since October 2023.
As access to food continues to deteriorate, prices are soaring on the black market: gas has increased by 2,612%, gasoline by 1,315% and wood by 250%, according to the report. “Alongside the extremely high prices of essential goods, which continue to rise, the means of subsistence that allow us to buy or barter food and other basic needs have collapsed,” he points out.
The United States, Israel’s main ally, gave the Israeli authorities until November 13 to allow an increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, threatening a partial suspension of their military assistance to the country.
