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A global hunger monitoring organization announced on Friday that famine is now occurring in Gaza, almost two years after Israel initiated a military operation in the small Palestinian territory following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The organization responsible for this assessment is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an independent body funded primarily by Western nations. It is widely regarded as the leading global system for evaluating the severity of hunger crises.
The IPC was established to raise alarms so that famines and widespread starvation can be prevented, and to guide response efforts. It is managed by 19 major humanitarian groups and regional entities, often collaborating with national governments to analyze data.
Famine is identified through the IPC’s five-phase scale for acute food insecurity, with Phase 5 representing the most severe level—divided into catastrophe and famine. When at least one region is classified as in famine, a review committee comprising up to six experts is activated.
To be officially categorized as in famine, an area must have at least 20% of its population experiencing extreme food shortages, one-third of children severely malnourished, and a mortality rate of two per 10,000 people daily due to starvation or related diseases. The IPC doesn’t officially declare famine but provides analysis for governments and agencies to do so.
Even if a region doesn’t meet all famine criteria, the IPC can still determine that households are enduring famine-like conditions involving starvation, extreme poverty, and death. Data is gathered mainly through reports from the United Nations World Food Programme, other relief groups, and government sources.
Assessments prioritize measuring children’s weight and height or upper arm circumference when possible.
This marks the fifth time in 14 years that the IPC has declared famine—previously in parts of Somalia (2011), South Sudan (2017, 2020), and Sudan (2024). Critics argue that the IPC sometimes responds too slowly to crises. In Gaza, its access to data has been limited, and its findings have been contested by Israel.
The recent report indicates that approximately 280,000 people in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, are experiencing famine conditions, according to the IPC. Additional populations in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis—central and southern Gaza—are expected to reach famine levels by the end of the following month. The analysis only includes residents from Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis, due to access restrictions and data shortages, excluding the northern Gaza governorate and other southern areas like Rafah.
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