A UN-backed authority has officially declared a state of famine in Gaza City and its surrounding areas, triggering a wave of condemnation and urgent calls for action from governments and international organizations worldwide. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative supported by over a dozen UN agencies and NGOs, confirmed the dire conditions on Friday, marking the first official famine declaration in Gaza since the war began.
The IPC report highlights that more than half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing “catastrophic conditions characterized by starvation, destitution, and death.” The report further warns that without an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded aid access, the famine is projected to spread to the governorates of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. The number of acutely malnourished children under five is also expected to double to over 132,000 by mid-2026.
In response to the report, a chorus of international voices has described the situation as a “man-made catastrophe.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the famine a “moral indictment” and a “failure of humanity itself,” stating that those with the power to act are failing. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy referred to it as a “moral outrage,” attributing the crisis to the Israeli government’s “refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza.” Other nations, including Belgium, Denmark, and Ireland, have issued similar statements, with Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, calling it “entirely predicated and preventable.”
Conversely, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outright rejected the IPC’s findings, labeling the report “an outright lie” and stating that Israel does not have a “policy of starvation.” The Israeli foreign ministry has cited the entry of over 100,000 trucks of aid since the start of the war. However, UN and aid officials have repeatedly stated that systematic Israeli obstruction and the destruction of infrastructure have severely limited the distribution of aid, with one UN aid chief describing the famine as being “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war.”