Gaza hunger crisis: Severe malnutrition threatens over one million amid ongoing conflict

A dire humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, with nearly every resident facing urgent food insecurity amidst escalating conflict and severe malnutrition.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), approximately 166 million people worldwide urgently require intervention against hunger, highlighting a global crisis exacerbated by ongoing conflicts.

In Gaza, the situation has reached catastrophic proportions following an Israeli military offensive launched in October in response to attacks by Hamas militants. Over a million people in Gaza now face extreme malnutrition categorized by the IPC as ‘Catastrophe or Famine,’ including seven-month-old Majd Salem.

Born amidst the conflict, Majd was admitted to the neonatal ICU at Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, suffering from severe malnutrition compounded by a chest infection. His weight at six months was a mere 3.8 kg, significantly below the expected weight for his age, despite being born a healthy 3.5 kg.

Reports from UNICEF indicate that one in three children in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished or suffer from wasting. The dire conditions have led to alarming mortality rates, with Ismail Al-Thawabta of the Hamas-run government media office reporting 33 deaths from malnutrition, including 29 children, a figure that may rise.

The conflict has severely disrupted food supplies in Gaza, with widespread destruction of farmland by Israeli forces and a blockade initially imposed and later partially eased to allow humanitarian aid. However, international calls persist for greater access to aid amidst accusations by the International Criminal Court of using starvation as a method of warfare.

The IPC’s classifications reveal that Gaza has the highest number of households in the most severe stage of food poverty globally, with millions in need of urgent assistance. The situation underscores a broader global trend of escalating hunger amid intensifying conflicts worldwide.

The United Nations and humanitarian agencies are closely monitoring the situation, with the IPC expected to release an updated assessment of Gaza’s food security crisis by June 25. As the crisis deepens, urgent international action is imperative to avert further humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and support vulnerable populations facing severe food shortages.