Over 1 million in Gaza at risk of highest level of starvation by mid-July, UN agency says

United Nations agencies have issued a dire warning that over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July if the ongoing hostilities are not resolved, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

In a joint report, the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that hunger is rapidly worsening in Gaza due to heavy restrictions on humanitarian access and the collapse of the local food system amid the nearly 8-month conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The report noted that the situation is particularly dire in northern Gaza, which has been surrounded and isolated by Israeli troops for months. While Israel has recently opened some land crossings, the capacity remains extremely limited, with only dozens of trucks per day able to enter the territory home to hundreds of thousands.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the global authority on hunger crises, reported in March that around 677,000 Gazans were experiencing the highest level of food insecurity, equivalent to famine conditions. The UN agencies warned this figure could climb to over 1 million – nearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population – by mid-July without an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian access.

“In the absence of a cessation of hostilities and increased access, the impact on mortality and the lives of the Palestinians now, and in future generations, will increase markedly with every day,” the report stated.