Gaza in a State of Catastrophic Famine, Children the Worst Hit

In 2025 the Gaza Strip is in the grip of catastrophic, man-made famine with its over half a million people at risk of starvation and needless mortality. The crisis is quickly degenerating and spreading in northern Gaza to central and southern governorate.

Magnitude of the Crises

• Catastrophic Hunger (IPC Phase 5): More than 640,000 people are at the highest level of food insecurity.
• Year-Round Emergency: A further 1.14 million people are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 396,000 people are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

Root Causes

• The famine is a straightforward consequence of almost two years of active conflict, which has:
• Dended local food production destroying 98 percent of crop land and destroying agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
• Was the reason behind the crumbling of markets, health services and infrastructure.
• Limited and determined humanitarian access, causing limited and unpredictable incoming aid.
• This causes fuel shortage, which constrains cooking and medical services.

Effect on Children and People at Risk

• The most serious effects are being experienced by children.
• There are more than 12,000 children having acute malnutrition which is a six-fold increase compared to the beginning of the year.
• Almost a quarter of them are severely acutely malnourished (the most fatal form of it).
• The figure of children being at risk to die due to deficiency of nutrients has tripled.
• Premature and underweight birth in one out of every five babies is as a result of malnutrition in their mothers.

Health and Sanitation Collapsing

The health system in Gaza is almost collapsed Shortage of safe water and toilet has also increased the prevalence of killer diseases such as diarrhoea, respiratory infections and they are in their highest form among children. There is an increase in multi drug resistant infections, and hospitals are ill-equipped and understaffed to manage.

Humanitarian Emergency Needs

1. The agencies of the United Nations have made an appeal to stop:
2. An immediate ceasefire to allow safe passage of humanitarian operations.
3. Unrestricted mass movement of food, fuel, medical supplies and shelter.
4. Reconnection to the circulation of commercial food (and assistance to local production being restarted).
5. Enormous funding of the health services to cure malnutrition and illness.