In a brief statement issued yesterday, the U.S. State Department appeared to dismiss the determination of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) that more than 500,000 people in Gaza face famine conditions. “We are looking into credible reports that the IPC recently changed its definition for what constitutes a famine,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, reported the Times of Israel.
The statement, ToI says, appears to be referring to the IPC’s decision to utilize a different system to measure malnutrition in Gaza than it has used in other conflict zones. To track hunger in Gaza, IPC used the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) measurement, as opposed to the weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ).
