Gazans are currently experiencing an unparalleled humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the population facing famine or catastrophic hunger amidst Israel’s continued bombardment and siege. This situation has escalated the food insecurity in Gaza to crisis levels, with the UN World Food Programme citing concerns for approximately 300,000 people in northern Gaza who are predominantly cut off from assistance. Hospitals like Nasser and Al-Amal are out of food, posing a great death risk to thousands inside due to constant Israeli attacks.
More than half a million people in Gaza are now facing “catastrophic hunger,” as defined by multiple United Nations organizations. The threat of a “full-fledged famine” continues to rise, with about 577,000 Gazans, or 26% of the population, currently starving. The situation has become so desperate that Gazans in Rafah report that food scarcity is taking a significant toll, with nearly all aid arriving in the enclave going through Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
The crisis is exacerbated by the malnutrition of Gazan children under the age of five, with almost one in 10 now acutely malnourished, largely as a result of the war on Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The food supplies that Gaza depends on have dwindled, and the UN has warned of an imminent new crisis following UNRWA funding cuts, leading to desperate measures such as grinding animal feed to make bread.
