Famine is 'playing out' in Gaza: IPC

Monitor urges govts to take urgent action

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Famine is “playing out” in the Gaza Strip, a global hunger monitor said in an alert issued yesterday as international criticism of Israel intensifies over rapidly worsening conditions in the Palestinian enclave.

“The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) alert. “Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths.”

The IPC alert does not formally classify Gaza as being in famine. Such a classification can only be made through an analysis, which the IPC said it would now conduct “without delay”.

The IPC is a global initiative that partners with 21 aid groups, international organisations, and UN agencies, and assesses the extent of hunger suffered by a population.