UN Experts Declare Famine in Gaza City, Urge Immediate Action Over Delayed Debate

UN-Backed Experts Declare ‘Man-Made’ Famine in Gaza City

A famine has been formally declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with UN-backed experts warning of a dramatic escalation in the territory’s humanitarian crisis.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global authority on food insecurity, confirmed that all three thresholds for famine had been met in Gaza City, which is home to an estimated 500,000–800,000 people.

“This famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed. The time for debate and hesitation has passed. Starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. Any further delay—even by days—will result in an unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality,” the IPC report stated.

The declaration makes Gaza City only the fifth place in the world where the IPC has confirmed a famine since its creation in 2004, the most recent being Sudan in 2024.

The report warned that without a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and the restoration of food, health, water, sanitation and nutrition services, deaths will rise “exponentially.”

Data from Gaza’s health ministry, verified by the World Health Organization, show a sharp spike in malnutrition-related deaths. In the 22 months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, 89 deaths—mostly of children—were attributed to hunger. But in just the first 20 days of August 2025, 133 deaths were recorded, including 25 children.

The IPC further cautioned that famine is likely to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks. Conditions in northern Gaza, though not yet officially classified as famine, are believed to be even more severe.

Aid officials warned that renewed Israeli military operations in Gaza City could have “catastrophic consequences” for civilians. “This is the worst, most critical stage in Gaza’s history, not just in this war,” said Amjad Shawa, director of the Gaza NGOs Network. “We must get food, otherwise we cannot imagine what will happen.”

The IPC urged “urgent, comprehensive and sustained action” to stop the rapidly worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza.