Famine confirmed in northern Gaza, global hunger monitor says

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Gaza famine is a 'man-made disaster', calls for immediate action

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(Al Jazeera) Famine is occurring in the northern Gaza Strip and is projected to spread to central and southern areas by the end of September, a global hunger monitor has warned.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative said on Friday that famine was occurring in the Gaza governorate, a region where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in northern Gaza, and that it was likely to reach the central region of Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza by the end of next month.

After 22 months of conflict, more than half a million people are facing famine (IPC Phase 5), a catastrophic situation characterised by starvation, acute malnutrition, and mortality, it said. Another 1.07 million people 54 percent of the population - are facing emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people (20 percent) are in crisis (IPC Phase 3).

Conditions are expected to further worsen between mid-August and the end of September 2025, with famine projected to expand to the central Deir el-Balah and southern Khan Younis areas.

By the end of this period, almost a third of the population of Gaza nearly 641,000 people is expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), while the number of people in emergency (IPC Phase 4) will likely increase to 1.14 million, or some 58 percent of the population.

This marks the most severe deterioration since the IPC partnership which comprises 21 organisations including UN agencies, NGOs, technical agencies and regional bodies began analysing acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip.

It also marks the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in Gaza.

The IPC global initiative described the situation as "a race against time", adding that "famine must be stopped at all costs".

It warned that acute malnutrition was projected to continue worsening "rapidly".