By Abdullahi Lukman
The Gaza Strip is at imminent risk of famine unless Israel lifts its blockade and halts military operations, a coalition of global food security experts warned on Monday, as hunger in the besieged enclave reaches catastrophic levels.
According to the latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — a leading global authority on hunger crises — 477,000 Palestinians are already experiencing “catastrophic” hunger, meaning they face starvation, while another one million are at “emergency” levels.
The IPC warned that without immediate changes, famine is the most likely scenario for Gaza.
The findings come amid an Israeli blockade now in its tenth week and a sustained military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas.
The situation has led to a collapse in food systems, widespread infrastructure destruction, and extreme scarcity of clean water, medicine, and shelter.
Humanitarian groups say food supplies have virtually vanished, and communal kitchens — now the last source of meals for many — are closing due to lack of stock.
The IPC report, based on data collected up to May 6, stated that while the famine thresholds for malnutrition and mortality have not yet been met, the hunger threshold has.
Experts caution that deaths from starvation often lag behind.
Israel says the blockade is necessary to pressure Hamas to release 59 remaining hostages and insists it won’t allow aid to resume without a new distribution system under its control.
However, the United Nations disputes claims of significant aid diversion and argues that Israel’s proposed system would politicize humanitarian relief and fail to meet needs.
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While the U.S. is working on an alternative mechanism involving private security contractors to manage aid hubs within Gaza, the UN has refused to participate, citing humanitarian concerns.
Under this plan, vetted individuals would be allowed to collect food parcels biweekly — a system critics argue is insufficient.
The IPC’s warning follows a previous famine alert in March, which led to a temporary increase in aid after international pressure — particularly from the U.S. — following the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli strike. However, those gains have since been reversed, the IPC said.
Israel’s military campaign began after the October 7 Hamas-led assault that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, Gaza’s health ministry, operated by Hamas, reports over 52,000 deaths, though figures remain unverified and include both civilians and fighters.
Israel claims to have killed more than 20,000 Hamas combatants.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also raised the alarm.
“Any delay in restoring aid flows is bringing us closer to famine,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “We are failing to uphold the right to food — a fundamental human right.”
Conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate. Aid groups report doubling numbers of children requiring treatment for malnutrition since February, with clinics quickly running out of supplies.
Food markets are empty, prices have skyrocketed, and access to farmland remains blocked or unsafe. Fuel shortages are halting water distribution and aid convoys alike.
While the IPC has faced criticism for past projections — including a premature famine prediction earlier this year — experts stress that the absence of a formal famine declaration does not negate the reality of severe, widespread hunger.
“This is starvation being used as a weapon of war,” said Chris Newton of the International Crisis Group. “The suffering is real, regardless of bureaucratic thresholds.”
