Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) — The world’s leading authority on the food crisis said Friday that the largest city in the Gaza Strip is being held by hunger and is likely to spread across the territory without ending ceasefire and humanitarian restrictions.
The integrated food security stage classification (IPC) said hunger is occurring in Gaza city, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and could spread south to Deial Bala and Khan Eunice by the end of next month.
IPC decisions will come later A few months of warning By aid groups whose restrictions on Israeli food and other aid to Gaza and its military attacks had caused high levels of hunger among Palestinian civilians, especially children.
Gaza City Attacks could exacerbate hunger
The harsh milestone of IPC’s first confirmed hunger in the Middle East is undoubtedly putting international pressure on Israel. Brutal War The extremist group has been attacking Hamas since October 7, 2023. Israel says it plans to escalate the war soon Gaza city is seized Other Hamas hubs that experts say will exacerbate the hunger crisis.
The Palestinians carry a bag of flour photographed by a humanitarian group on August 1, 2025, on the outskirts of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IPC said hunger was driven by combat and aid blockade, expanded by widespread displacement in Gaza and collapse of food production, pushing hunger to life-threatening levels across the territory after the 22 months of war.
More than half a million people in Gaza, about a quarter of the population, face devastating levels of hunger, many at risk of dying from malnutrition-related causes, the IPC report states. Last month, the IPC said that “the worst-case scenario of hunger” was unfolding in Gaza, but stopped its official resolve.
Report on the hunger of the Israeli conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the hunger in Gaza calling for reports of “lies” promoted by Hamas. After publication of Images of a weak child In reports of deaths related to Gaza and hunger, Israel has announced measures to provide more humanitarian aid. But the United Nations and Palestinians in Gaza say what’s in is far below what you need.
The Israeli military agency responsible for transferring aid to the territory rejected the report on Friday, calling it “false and biased.” The agency known as Cogat rejected allegations that there was hunger in Gaza and said important steps have been taken in recent weeks to increase the amount of aid entering the strip.
In a social media post, Israeli Foreign Ministry also rejected the findings, saying the IPC report was “based on Hamas’ lies.” He said that more than 100,000 aid has come to Gaza since the start of the war.
“We’ve seen a lot of effort and we’ve seen them,” said Chris Newton, an analyst at International Crisis Group.
A few weeks after warning that hunger has begun, Israel’s plan to escalate the war in Gaza city shows “the hunger is intentional and how Israel will exercise starvation,” he said.
Netanyahu says more military pressure is needed to achieve Israel’s goal of liberating Israeli hostages, which Hamas owns and to completely eliminate extremist groups.
How hunger is determined
Official Hungry Decision It’s rare. The IPC decided to hunger in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and parts of Sudan’s West Darfur region last year.
The IPC says hunger is present in the area if all three conditions are confirmed:
At least 20% of households are either extremely scarce or inherently hungry for food. At least 30% of children aged 6 months to 5 years suffer from acute malnutrition and waste. In other words, he is too thin. And at least two, or four children under the age of five, die every day from the interaction of starvation or malnutrition and disease.
Israeli attacks and restrictions on access to Gaza have made collecting data difficult.
Data analyzed between July 1st and August 15th provided clear evidence that the thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition were met. Although it was more difficult to collect mortality data, the IPC said it would be reasonable to conclude from evidence that it is likely that the required threshold has been reached.
Palestinians will open a humanitarian package thrown in the air at Daial Rose in central Gaza on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, file)
The IPC warned that a third of Gaza’s population could face catastrophic levels of hunger by the end of September, which is likely a shortage.
Alex De Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation, said that if Israel granted better access to collect data, hunger could have been decided a few months ago, which had raised global awareness more quickly.
“Sadly, it appears that experts need to scream ‘Hungry!’ By then it will be too late before the world realizes it,” he said.
Israel has limited aid to varying degrees throughout the war. In March, it blocked out all products, including fuel, food and medicine, and put pressure on Hamas to release hostages.
Israel eased these restrictions in May and said there is no limit to the number of aid trucks that can enter Gaza at the moment. But it also moved forward with something new US Support Aid Distribution System It requires Palestinians to travel long distances and pass Israeli military lines to get assistance.
Traditional unused aid provider says Delivery is being prevented Due to Israeli military restrictions and looting incidents Criminal And the hungry crowd overwhelms the overwhelming force entering the convoy.
Witnesses, health authorities and the United Nations Office of Rights say hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking assistance from both providers, but Israel only fired warning shots and the tolls are exaggerated.
Gaza City parents see his children in wasted
On the eve of the war, Gaza city was home to about 700,000 people about Washington’s population.
Throughout the conflict, it was the focus of regular Israeli artillery bombardment and ground operations. Some neighbours It’s almost completely destroyed. At the start of the war, hundreds of thousands fled under Israeli evacuation orders. Many returned during the ceasefire earlier this year..
Over the past few weeks, doctors and nurses in Gaza have seen an increase in the number of visibly malnourished patients.
17-year-old Ahmad Suvete was injured by a rap shot during a strike at a nearby home, losing about 15 kilograms (33 pounds). (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)
Kirsty Bracca, an Australian emergency nurse who worked at Al Kudds Hospital in Gaza until June, said she looks like a teenager because she has no pre-existing condition.
She said food shortages have been exacerbated by diarrhea and contaminated water that causes infections, making it difficult for people to recover from a time of malnutrition.
If Israel evacuated the city’s people prior to the new attack, it would be too weak for thousands to leave, Brakka said. “Because of starvation, it will put an extra strain on the already depleted body, leading to the deaths of many Palestinians,” she said.
Family in Gaza City say they see their loved ones in vain.
Yousef Sbeteh’s two teenagers were injured by sh shotguns in an Israeli airstrike in June and spent the past two months at hospitals. While there, they both lost weight because they didn’t have enough food, he said, adding that he couldn’t afford more as market prices skyrocketed. The doctor says the teenagers had no existing condition.
According to her doctors, his 15-year-old daughter Aya lost nearly 20 kilograms (44 pounds), or about 30% of her weight. Her 17-year-old brother Ahmad lost about 15 kilograms (33 pounds). A lack of dietary supplements and healthy foods has slowed recovery, doctors say.
“The doctor says she needs protein, meat and fish,” Suvete said as she sat beside her frail daughter. “But I can’t offer it now.”
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Mednic reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Sally Abou Aljoud contributed from Beirut, Lebanon.
