The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), that AP described as a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, issued a report yesterday warning that “there is a high risk” of outright famine in Gaza if circumstances don’t change. “Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of famine,” the IPC report says at the outset. “Over 60 days have passed since all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies were blocked from entering the territory. Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation.
“From 11 May to the end of September 2025, the whole territory is classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), with the entire population expected to face Crisis or worse acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above),” it continues, adding that 22% of the population is already in the catastrophic Phase 5. That is significantly worse than the previous IPC analysis released in October 2024, “and the already dire conditions detected between 1 April-10 May 2025.”
The lack of a famine declaration doesn’t mean people aren’t already starving, and a declaration shouldn’t be a precondition for ending the suffering, said Chris Newton, an analyst for the International Crisis Group focusing on starvation as a weapon of war. He told AP, “The Israeli government is starving Gaza as part of its attempt to destroy Hamas and transform the Strip.”
