Catastrophic potential for famine escalating in Gaza, alert portrayed by food security specialists
The United Nations and humanitarian leaders are calling for immediate action to address the worsening famine conditions in the Gaza Strip. The situation is described as a "disaster unfolding" and no longer a warning but a direct call to action.
The immediate actions being called for include the urgent and large-scale delivery of humanitarian food aid without obstruction, safe and sustained humanitarian access to Gaza, and immediate support to restore local food production and livelihoods.
Hundreds of truckloads of aid currently stalled at the Gaza border should be delivered immediately and ensured to reach civilians in need. Safe, sustained access for humanitarian organizations to distribute food and restore local food systems is crucial to prevent further deaths.
The collapse of health and nutrition services, especially for vulnerable children under five years old at high risk of severe acute malnutrition, needs immediate attention.
Urgent humanitarian pauses and secure corridors are needed to allow aid convoys to operate in the conflict zone. Concrete measures to halt the violence, alleviate suffering, and recommit to political solutions to the conflict that underlie the humanitarian crisis are also being called for by UN officials and governments.
The World Food Program emergency director Ross Smith emphasized the urgency, stating, "This is not a warning. This is a call to action." WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain added that waiting for official confirmation of famine to provide life-saving food aid to the people of Gaza is "unconscionable."
Hospitals in Gaza report a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths among children under 5, with at least 16 deaths reported since July 17. Nearly 17% of children under 5 in Gaza City are acutely malnourished, according to a report. Desperate crowds continue to overwhelm delivery trucks, according to U.N. agencies.
Israel announced measures over the weekend, including daily humanitarian pauses and airdrops, but U.N. agencies say little has changed. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has warned that the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, "No one is starving in Gaza," and that Israel has supplied sufficient aid throughout the war. However, Israeli data shows no food entered Gaza in March or April, and only 19,900 tons entered in May and 37,800 tons in June. Over 1,000 people have been killed while trying to access food since May 27, according to the IPC report.
The IPC report states that Israel's "drastic restrictions" on food entry have limited shipments far below basic needs in Gaza. At least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Airdrops by some countries are described as a last resort that is "far too expensive and inefficient." The IPC alert confirmed that two of three key thresholds have been crossed in Gaza, indicating a high risk of famine.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on images from Gaza, saying, "Those children look very hungry." The situation in Gaza is reminiscent of historic disasters in Ethiopia and Biafra, with the need for urgent action now.
Erdogan, the Turkish president, has expressed his concern over the unfolding disaster in Turkiye's ally, Gaza, and called for immediate intervention in the worsening famine conditions, emphasizing the need for unimpeded humanitarian access and emergency food aid delivery. Turkish politics and general news outlets have given significant coverage to this dire situation, advocating for a commitment to political solutions that alleviate the ongoing crisis.
