One in five people in Gaza are at risk of starvation due to Israel's blockade

One in five people in Gaza are at risk of starvation due to Israel's blockade

A recent United Nations-backed report warns that one in five people in Gaza is threatened by hunger, as the entire area moves closer to famine. This comes after almost three months of Israel's blockade of desperately needed humanitarian assistance.

Urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The warning comes as the UN, several NGOs and civilians in the Gaza Strip report that the situation has worsened since Israel's renewed attack in March, as residents Have difficulty accessing food, medicines and clean water.

Acute food insecurity

The territory's entire population is experiencing "high acute food insecurity" while the territory is at "high risk" of famine - the most serious form of hunger crisis, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) noted in its latest report on Monday.

“Goods essential to people’s survival are either exhausted or will run out in the coming weeks,” the IPC warned. Food is scarce and what is left is sold at exorbitant prices that few can afford.

The Israeli blockade

On March 2, Israel imposed a humanitarian blockade on Gaza, cutting off food, medical supplies and other assistance to the more than 2 million Palestinians in the territory. Israel says the blockade, along with the military escalation of the bombardment of Gaza, is intended to put pressure on Hamas to release hostages from the enclave. International organizations, however, claim this violates international law and some accuse Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war.

The effects of the crisis

The IPC report warned that there is a “high risk” of famine between now and the end of September, which would leave most people in Gaza without access to food, water, shelter and medicine.

“Only an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities and the resumption of the delivery of humanitarian aid can prevent a descent into famine,” the report said.

Famine Thresholds

According to the IPC system - a five-phase scale for measuring the severity of food insecurity - famine can only be declared when certain thresholds are reached. These include: At least 20% of all households must face extreme food shortages, 30% or more of children must be acutely malnourished, and at least two in 10,000 people die every day due to acute malnutrition or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.

According to the IPC, the first threshold has already been reached. Nearly 469,500 people – around 22% of the population – are expected to experience “catastrophic” food insecurity between May and September, the highest phase on the IPC scale.

Opinions and perspectives

David Mencer, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, said on Monday that "famine in Gaza never happened" despite IPC warnings. If there is hunger in Gaza, it is due to Hamas preventing the civilian population from receiving humanitarian aid.

Although he largely blames Hamas for the rising hunger rates, the US ambassador to Israel recognized Mike Huckabee, on Friday highlighted the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza, telling CNN: "If there was no humanitarian crisis, there would be no attempt to deal with it. So the answer is obviously: Yes, there is a humanitarian crisis."

The human cost of the blockade

Since March 2, Israel's renewed attack has displaced more than 430,000 people, affecting essential services and the distribution of vital goods. All 25 bakeries run by the UN's World Food Program (WFP) were forced to close in early April due to a lack of supplies, and food for hot meals is running low in most of the 177 kitchens, the IPC report said. Food prices are rising dramatically.

Flour prices have risen 3,000% since February; a 25-pound bag of wheat flour can cost between $235 and $520.

Vulnerable groups under pressure

Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. Nearly 71,000 cases of acute malnutrition in children under five are expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026. In addition, almost 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will require treatment for acute malnutrition.

In the nineteen months since Israel's attack on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, people have begun to look for food, grass and eating animal feed and drinking contaminated water. Starving mothers couldn't produce enough milk for their babies, and parents tried everything to keep their children alive, parents and doctors told CNN.

Imran Rajab, a mother from Gaza City, CNN reported

"My kids vomit after eating it. It smells terrible," Rajab said. "But what else can I do? What else would I feed my children if not this?"

Dr. Amjad Al-Muzaini, a gynecologist who works in Gaza City, said women in Gaza are forced to choose between feeding their children and their own health. They often sacrifice their own well-being to ensure the survival of their children.

During cesarean operations, women were found to have severely damaged intestinal lining and uterine lining, which is likely the result of eating low-quality and especially preserved foods, Al-Muzaini said.

Offers of help and blockages

The WFP recently said it was prepared to send enough aid to Gaza to feed the entire population for up to two months. UNRWA, the main U.N. agency assisting Palestinians, said it has nearly 3,000 trucks carrying aid waiting to enter the Gaza Strip but are currently blocked by Israel.

“Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is at the border,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said on X. “But WFP has not been able to bring new aid into the country since March 2.”

“If we wait until the famine is officially confirmed, it will be TOO LATE,” she added.

Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip after Hamas' October 2023 attack in which militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Since then, Israel's military campaign has left nearly 53,000 Palestinians dead. More than 2,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since bombing resumed in March, according to the Health Ministry.

Reporting was supported by CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Tareq Al Hilou, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Dana Karni and Mounira Elsamra.