Famine Officially Declared in Gaza as UN Agencies Demand Ceasefire

A catastrophic famine is now underway in Gaza, according to a devastating new report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

More than half a million people are facing starvation, with famine conditions expected to spread across the territory in the coming weeks. This is the first official famine declaration in the Middle East.

Four United Nations agencies FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO are urgently calling for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to prevent further mass loss of life. The agencies warn that without a major scaling up of aid, the situation will rapidly deteriorate.

By the end of September, over 640,000 people are projected to face catastrophic food insecurity. An additional 1.14 million will be in emergency conditions. The report highlights that North Gaza may be experiencing conditions even worse than in Gaza City, though limited access has prevented full assessment.

Children are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Malnutrition is accelerating at an alarming rate; in July alone, more than 12,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished a six-fold increase since the start of the year. Nearly one in four of these children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which is often fatal.

The collapse of food systems, agriculture, and health services has left families with nowhere to turn. Almost all cropland is damaged or inaccessible, and nine out of ten people have been repeatedly displaced. Access to clean water, sanitation, and medical care is severely limited, leading to surging rates of disease.

UN leaders emphasized that only an immediate and sustained ceasefire can enable the scale of response needed. “People in Gaza have exhausted every possible means of survival,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “Access to food is not a privilege—it is a basic human right.”

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell echoed the urgency. “Famine is now a grim reality,” she said. “Without an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access, famine will spread, and more children will die.”