Famine has officially been declared in Gaza’s largest city, Gaza City, in what international monitors say is a direct result of Israel’s ongoing blockade on aid.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global body responsible for determining famine conditions, confirmed that catastrophic hunger has already taken hold in the densely populated city, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The IPC further warned that the crisis could soon engulf Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis before next month ends if aid continues to be blocked.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the situation, stating that famine in the Gaza Governorate was the result of Israeli actions. He warned that the use of starvation as a weapon amounts to a war crime, adding that the resulting deaths could constitute “wilful killing” under international law.
The declaration underscores the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave, where months of siege and bombardment have devastated food supplies, crippled essential services, and left families struggling to survive without access to sufficient food, clean water, or medical aid.
International calls for Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian access have grown louder in recent weeks, with aid groups warning that time is running out to avert an even wider famine across Gaza.
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