The United Nations-supported international organization "Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)" will officially declare a "Famine" at the highest level of food crisis for the first time in the Gaza Strip. This marks the confirmation by the international community that the worst disaster has come to fruition after two years of war. Israel has strongly rejected this, asserting that "there is no famine in the Gaza Strip," indicating that repercussions are expected.
The UK Telegraph reported on the 21st (local time) that the IPC, consisting of UN agencies and relief organizations, is expected to declare famine in northern areas of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, on the 22nd. The IPC is an internationally recognized system that analyzes food crises worldwide. Since its inception in 2004, the IPC has declared famine only four times, including last year in Sudan, applying strict criteria.
Famine is declared when ▲ more than 20% of all households in a specific area experience extreme food shortages, ▲ more than 30% of children are in a state of acute malnutrition, and ▲ more than 2 individuals per 10,000 people die of hunger each day. In a pre-briefing, the IPC stated, "More than 500,000 residents of the Gaza Strip are facing hunger, destitution, and death." Additionally, it was projected that if current trends continue, famine would spread to the central and southern Gaza Strip by the end of September.
The declaration of this famine comes as the Israeli military has launched a large-scale ground offensive in Gaza City. Israel has issued a mobilization order for 60,000 reservists and has entered the outskirts of Gaza City, warning residents of large-scale evacuations. Residents, caught between gunfire and hunger, are overwhelmed by despair.
According to the Gaza Strip Health Ministry, 271 residents have died from hunger and malnutrition since the outbreak of war in October 2023, of which 112 are children. Notably, more than half of all deceased from starvation occurred within the last three weeks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently denied claims of famine. He recently stated, "If Israel had implemented a hunger policy, no Gaza residents would have survived after two years of war," and remarked, "The ones deliberately subjected to hunger are only our hostages." However, with the international community's official declaration of famine, criticism and calls for accountability towards Israel, which has been controlling the entry of humanitarian aid, are expected to intensify.