OPINION - Long overdue declaration of famine in Gaza: What should happen now?
IPC report's urgent call to the international community is clear: unless a ceasefire is enacted and skilled medical teams deliver therapeutic food—far beyond basic supplies like flour or lentils—thousands more will die

The author is a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (2014-2020) and a member of the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the UN Committee of World Food Security (CFS)
- IPC report's urgent call to the international community is clear: unless a ceasefire is enacted and skilled medical teams deliver therapeutic food—far beyond basic supplies like flour or lentils—thousands more will die
- Report concludes that Gaza’s famine is 'entirely man-made.' It calls for an immediate, large-scale response, warning: 'Any further delay—even by a day—will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality'
ISTANBUL
Since October 2023, heavy military assault, blocked humanitarian aid, destroyed infrastructure, lack of clean water, disease, and a collapsed health system have caused acute starvation and malnutrition across Gaza. After months of growing concern, the situation has now reached catastrophic levels. Approximately 98% of cropland is damaged or inaccessible [1], devastating agriculture and local food production, while nine out of ten people have been displaced, often to unsafe locations. Food prices are extremely high, cash is scarce, fuel and water are insufficient for cooking, and medical supplies are almost nonexistent. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as of Aug. 22, at least 273 people had died of starvation, including 112 children.
Finally, on Aug. 22, the United Nations (UN) declared famine in Gaza—an announcement long overdue. The declaration followed the most recent report [2] of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an authoritative, internationally recognized system for monitoring food emergencies. The report confirmed that more than half a million people (514,000) are experiencing catastrophic famine in the Gaza Governorate, including Gaza City and its surroundings. It warned that famine could soon spread to Central and Southern Gaza (Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis), threatening an additional one million Palestinians. Conditions in North Gaza are believed to be equally dire or worse, but due to insufficient data the Famine Review Committee (FRC) refrained from formal classification. Rafah was not analyzed, as it has been largely destroyed and depopulated.
How is famine declared, and why is it always too late?
Declaring famine [3] is a highly technical process, and the IPC is known for its conservative methodology. The system is designed to provide "independent, timely, and evidence-based analysis" to guide decision-makers in preventing future famines. Yet, because of the time needed for data collection and verification, official declarations often arrive too late [4]—after starvation deaths have already occurred.
In Gaza, Israel’s destruction of infrastructure, blockade, and obstruction of aid mean that nearly the entire population is facing some level of hunger. The IPC, coordinated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, requires review by the FRC and approval from experts, governments, and agencies such as WFP, WHO, and UNICEF.
For famine to be declared, three conditions are assessed:
- At least one in five households facing extreme food shortages,
- One in three children suffering from acute malnutrition,
- At least two adults (per 10,000 people per day) dying of hunger-related causes, including dehydration and disease.
If two out of three criteria are met, famine can be declared. In Gaza, all three conditions exist.
Because of these procedures, famine declarations are inevitably delayed. Previous crises—in Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia—were only recognized officially after large numbers of people had already died. Political pressures from governments often further postpone recognition. For this reason, food security experts, including the UN Committee on World Food Security’s High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) [5], have long criticized the IPC for being reactive rather than preventive. Gaza is a tragic example: famine was declared only after it had already claimed hundreds of lives.
A deadly failure of humanitarian access
Since December 2023, the IPC’s FRC has issued five reports on Gaza—an unprecedented frequency—underscoring the worsening and unrelieved suffering. Despite repeated warnings, Israel has failed to address or alleviate the crisis.
The reports also express grave concern over continued civilian killings during food distributions by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) [6], a controversial entity organized by Israel and the United States, established after Israel blocked UN-coordinated humanitarian aid when the ceasefire collapsed in March 2025. Civilians were forced to walk long distances across dangerous terrain in search of food, only to be attacked and killed. Between May and August 2025, more than 2,000 people were killed or injured during GHF distributions. The FRC stated that GHF operations cannot be classified as humanitarian aid. Instead, Israel has turned aid into another weapon of war—a killing field.
Before UN operations were blocked, 400 distribution centers were functioning. By contrast, GHF established only four centers, deliberately located in combat zones.
In recent weeks, Israel, with the UAE and Jordan, initiated food airdrops—another controversial method that is meant only for areas inaccessible by land. In Gaza, airdropped parcels have caused deaths and injuries as desperate, starving people were crushed during chaotic retrievals.
What must happen now?
The IPC report concludes that Gaza’s famine is "entirely man-made," with specific data and locations provided. It calls for an immediate, large-scale response, warning: “Any further delay—even by a day—will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of famine-related mortality.” Without a ceasefire to allow safe, unrestricted humanitarian access, preventable deaths will rise exponentially, particularly among children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses.
The famine declaration places pressure on governments and agencies to act, while also providing evidence for accountability. Despite the overwhelming data, Israeli leaders [7] have dismissed the report as a “blood libel” and an "outright lie," repeating unsubstantiated claims that Hamas steals aid. Even respected media outlets have echoed these narratives, as when The New York Times corrected a report on a child’s death from starvation by attributing it to an “underlying condition.” The child, born in December 2023 during the war, suffered from a disease directly linked to war conditions. Nutrition experts emphasize that malnutrition begins in the womb and has lifelong consequences. Already, one in five babies in Gaza is born premature or underweight, with minimal survival chances.
Legal implications
Declaring famine has significant implications under international humanitarian and criminal law. The deliberate use of hunger and denial of aid as weapons of war constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity. The UN’s famine declaration, grounded in scientific evidence, can serve as powerful proof in current and future legal proceedings to hold Israeli leaders—including Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz—criminally responsible. Their public use of genocidal language further reveals intent.
A call to action
The report’s urgent call to the international community is clear: unless a ceasefire is enacted and skilled medical teams deliver therapeutic food—far beyond basic supplies like flour or lentils—thousands more will die. This is not only Israel’s legal and moral responsibility as the occupying power, nor only the responsibility of complicit states providing weapons or diplomatic cover. It is the collective obligation of all UN member states.
No government can claim ignorance. The evidence is on record. History will judge those who fail to act—harshly.
[1] https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/gaza-strip--98.5-percent-of-cropland-unavailable-for-cultivation-as-famine-looms/en
[2] https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-134/en/
[3] https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IPC_Famine_Factsheet.pdf
[4] https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/11/25/yemen-famine-hunger-food-prices-war
[5] https://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/insights/news-insights/news-detail/new-issues-paper--conflict-induced-acute-food-crises--potential-policy-responses-in-light-of-current-emergencies/en
[6] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/un-experts-call-immediate-dismantling-gaza-humanitarian-foundation
[7] https://www.barrons.com/news/netanyahu-calls-un-backed-gaza-famine-report-outright-lie-d3b95e45?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy.
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