NEW YORK / PNN/
An IPC report today warned that a high risk of famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip as long as conflict continues and humanitarian access is restricted.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on Gaza paints a stark picture of ongoing hunger, finding that 96% of the population is facing acute food insecurity at crisis level or higher (IPC Category 3+), with almost half a million people in catastrophic conditions (IPC Category 5) through September 2024.
The reported added that while the whole territory is classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), over 495,000 people (22 percent of the population) are still facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). In this phase, households experience an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities. Another 745,000 people (33 percent) are classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
The IPC acute food insecurity analysis conducted in February 2024 projected that Famine would likely occur in the northern governorates by the end of May, based on the assumption that conflict would persist with the same intensity and humanitarian access would remain very low. Although with some disruptions, in March and April the amount of food deliveries and nutrition services provided to the northern governorates increased. These appear to have temporarily alleviated conditions in the northern governorates.
The IPC report noted that in the southern governorates, the situation deteriorated in early May. Over one million people have been displaced since the start of the Rafah offensive on 6 May following attacks by air and sea across the territory and expansion into Deir alBalah, notably in Nuseirat Refugee Camp.
It added that humanitarian access to the two million people in the southern governorates has notably reduced with the closure of the Rafah border crossing and disruptions to the Karm Abu Salem crossing. Further concentration of displaced populations into areas with significantly reduced water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), health and other essential infrastructure increases the risk of disease outbreaks, which would have catastrophic effects on the nutritional and health status of large segments of the population.
It revealed that the latest data show that, to be able to buy food, more than half of the households had to exchange their clothes for money and one third resorted to picking up trash to sell. More than half also reported that, often, they do not have any food to eat in the house, and over 20 percent go entire days and nights without eating.
It pointed out that the Israeli genocidal onslaught on the Strip also continues to cause widespread damage to assets and infrastructure that are critical for survival. By the end of May, around 60 percent of all buildings, including dwellings, shops and infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools; and nearly 70 percent of WASH facilities across the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed. Assets and infrastructure necessary for food production and distribution have also been severely affected by the conflict. By the end of May, 57 percent of agricultural land had been destroyed or severely damaged, limiting the food system’s functionality.
The humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip continues to shrink and the ability to safely deliver assistance to populations is dwindling. The recent trajectory is negative and highly unstable. Should this continue, the improvements seen in April could be rapidly reversed.
