Displaced Palestinian mother Samah Matar holds her malnourished son Youssef, who suffers from cerebral palsy, at a school where they shelter amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza
The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 60,000, according to local health authorities, as a catastrophic famine looms over the region. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, has issued an urgent alert warning that Gaza is experiencing a worst-case scenario of famine, driven by widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease.
Mounting Evidence of Starvation
- Nearly 470,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, including 90,000 women and children who require specialized nutrition.
- At least 147 people, including 88 children, have died from hunger in recent weeks.
- The IPC is preparing a formal analysis that could officially classify Gaza as “in famine,” a move aimed at pressuring Israel to allow more aid into the territory.
Aid Blockade and Limited Access
Despite recent humanitarian pauses announced by Israel, aid organizations report that only 50% of requested supplies are reaching Gaza. The World Food Program (WFP) says it lacks the stocks and permissions to reopen vital bakeries and community kitchens.
Israel claims that 5,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza in the past two months and denies allegations of starvation. However, humanitarian groups argue that the aid is a mere “trickle in a vast ocean of needs”.
Global Response and Political Tensions
The crisis has sparked international outrage, with images of emaciated children circulating widely. While Israeli officials maintain their military actions are in self-defense, critics—including global monitors and aid organizations—are calling for unimpeded, large-scale humanitarian access to prevent further deaths.
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