United Nations/Gaza, August 22, 2025: Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially in famine, a global hunger watchdog declared Friday, warning that starvation will spread further across the war-torn enclave unless aid access improves.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said some 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are facing famine, a figure projected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September. About 280,000 residents in Gaza governorate are already experiencing famine conditions after nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
It is the first famine recorded outside Africa, with the IPC warning that central and southern areas — Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis — could slip into famine within weeks. North Gaza might be in an even worse state, but lack of access prevented a full assessment.
“This is a famine that could have been prevented, had we been allowed,” said U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, accusing Israel of systematically blocking food supplies.
Israel dismissed the findings as “false and biased,” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the report an “outright lie.” He insisted Israel had facilitated aid, claiming 2 million tons of supplies — “over one ton per person” — had entered Gaza since the war began.
Under IPC criteria, famine requires 20% of the population facing extreme food shortages, one in three children acutely malnourished, and two deaths per 10,000 people per day from hunger or related disease.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Gaza famine a “man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity.” He urged an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access. U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned that deliberate starvation of civilians could amount to a war crime.
Israel’s military liaison office, COGAT, said the IPC report ignored Israeli aid data and accused it of serving “Hamas propaganda.” Israeli media outlets highlighted the famine declaration but split on framing: Haaretz focused on starvation, while Israel Hayom, N12 and Ynet stressed Israel’s rejection of the report.
The findings triggered international alarm. Britain called them “utterly horrifying,” with Foreign Secretary David Lammy accusing Israel of causing a “man-made catastrophe” by restricting aid. Canada, Australia and several European governments said conditions had reached “unimaginable levels.”
The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, faces shifting public opinion: a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found 65% of Americans believe Washington should do more to help starving Gazans. President Donald Trump recently acknowledged starvation in Gaza, contradicting Netanyahu’s denials.
The IPC report, funded by the EU, Germany, Britain and Canada, is only the fifth famine declaration in 14 years, after Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
The Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities report.
Mediation efforts by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt continue, but no breakthrough has been reached.
