Hey fam 👋, the UN has officially declared a famine in Gaza – the first in the Middle East! According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than 500,000 people are facing "catastrophic" hunger, with starvation and preventable deaths on the rise.
UN experts from the FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO say the crisis started in Gaza City and is now spreading south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. By September's end, 640,000 people could be in catastrophic conditions, another 1.14 million at emergency levels, and nearly 400,000 in crisis. These terms mean extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition and hunger-related deaths have all hit alarming thresholds.
Child malnutrition has surged too: over 12,000 kids were identified as acutely malnourished in July alone – that's six times more than in January. If things don’t change, by mid-2026 some 43,400 children and 55,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women could face life-threatening malnutrition.
Almost all cropland in Gaza is gone or out of reach, and aid deliveries are spotty and way below what's needed. The health system has collapsed under shortages of food, fuel, clean water and medicines, while infectious diseases are on the rise.
UN agencies warn that ongoing military operations and tight restrictions on humanitarian access could make things even worse. They're calling for an immediate ceasefire and large-scale aid efforts to save lives, especially for kids, seniors and people with disabilities.
UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher said this famine "could have been prevented," pointing to food supplies piling up outside Gaza's border because of what he called "systematic obstruction by Israel." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk added that these restrictions have directly caused the famine.
For young people scrolling through their feeds, this is a reminder of how quickly a region’s food security can collapse. Let’s stay informed, use our voices, and push for the humanitarian response Gaza urgently needs. 🌍✌️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
