Catastrophic Hunger in Gaza

The scale of hunger in Gaza is among the worst ever recorded, with the entire population of approximately 2.1 million facing acute food insecurity—the vast majority at crisis level or worse, according to multiple recent reports from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the UN, and major humanitarian organizations1356.

Key points include:

• Catastrophic Hunger: Up to 470,000 people (about 22% of Gaza’s population) are currently experiencing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5), the highest classification, meaning starvation, death, and destitution are occurring or imminent146.

• Acute Food Insecurity: 96% of the population (2.13 million people) are at extreme levels of hunger, classified as food security crisis (IPC Phase 3) or above569.

• Famine Risk Across All of Gaza: The risk of famine is present across the entire territory. The ongoing blockade, persistent military operations, and lack of humanitarian access have pushed food insecurity and child malnutrition beyond the thresholds used to declare a famine137.

• Children and Mothers: The most recent IPC analysis projects 71,000 children and over 17,000 mothers need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Reports indicate that nearly all children are facing extreme food deprivation16.

• Starvation and Health Impact: The blockade on aid has caused bakeries and communal kitchens to close, and essential resources are running out. Cases of malnutrition, disease, and starvation-related deaths are occurring and expected to rise if immediate action is not taken79.

• Unprecedented Severity: These figures represent the highest ever recorded on the IPC scale for any population, both as a percentage and total number of people at IPC Phase 5 (catastrophe)2.

Field studies confirm:

• 98% of households report severe food insecurity9.

• Average household members have lost significant weight, with average body mass index dropping from the overweight to the normal or underweight range during the conflict9.