Hunger watch group: Gaza is out of famine, but still critical
Dec. 19 (UPI) — An international hunger watchdog group said that while Gaza is no longer in famine conditions since the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, it’s still food-insecure and many people still go hungry.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a United Nations-backed group, released a report Friday that said on X that at least 1.6 million people are still facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
It said that acute malnutrition is still critical in Gaza City and is serious in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis with nearly 101,000 children under 5 likely to suffer acute malnutrition through mid-October 2026 throughout Gaza.
Israel’s foreign ministry called the IPC report “deliberately distorted” and “doesn’t reflect the reality in the Gaza Strip,” the BBC reported.
Between “600 and 800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, 70 percent of them carrying food — nearly five times more than what the IPC itself said was required for the Strip,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Since the cease-fire, humanitarian agencies have been better able to get aid into Gaza, easing the famine that caused widespread hunger and malnutrition in the area during fighting, when Israel blocked aid from the Palestinians.
“Over the next 12 months, across the entire Gaza Strip, nearly 101,000 children aged 6-59 months are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and require treatment, with more than 31,000 severe cases,” the report said. “During the same period, 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will also face acute malnutrition and require treatment.”
UNWRA, the U.N. agency for Palestine, supported the report from the IPC.
“The latest report from the IPC info underscores how fragile the gains have been since the cease-fire began in October,” UNWRA said in a statement. “While Gaza Governorate is no longer classified as being in famine, 1.6 million people still face high levels of acute food insecurity. To end this catastrophe, supplies must be let in at scale and humanitarians allowed to do their job.”
