Gaza population faces high risk of famine, hunger monitor says

Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, saying the Israeli-blockaded enclave still confronts a critical risk of famine with a high risk of one occurring by the end of September.

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)'s latest report cited a significant deterioration in the situation since its last one in October, reflecting warnings from international agencies of an unfolding catastrophe in the small, densely populated Palestinian territory.

It forecast that 2.1 million people across Gaza — roughly the entire population - would likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of September, with 469,500 of them projected to likely hit “catastrophic” levels.

Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which thousands of aid trucks entered the enclave.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said on Monday the IPC had “constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel's efforts to get more aid in.”