A new report has raised alarms about the growing threat of malnutrition and death among children in Gaza. This report comes from a leading global authority on food security and nutrition. It highlights a particularly grim situation for around 300,000 individuals in Gaza’s northern areas.
The report, released by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative, indicates that famine could hit the northern parts of Gaza anytime from mid-March to May 2024. This initiative, formed in 2004 by U.N. agencies and international relief organizations, has only declared famine twice before: in Somalia in 2011 and South Sudan in 2017.
According to the report, up to 1.1 million people in Gaza could soon face extreme hunger. This includes children under 5 years old, who are at an alarmingly high risk of acute malnutrition. There’s also a significant risk of increased deaths and the looming threat of starvation.
The situation has been exacerbated by ongoing conflicts and the difficulty aid organizations face in accessing northern Gaza. This area was the first to be invaded by Israeli forces in October, leaving the 300,000 Palestinian civilians there even more vulnerable.
Throughout the Gaza Strip, people are grappling with severe shortages of food and basic necessities. This is due to bombardments and a near-total blockade by Israel.
The report warns that other areas of Gaza, including the central and southern regions, could also face famine by July if the worst-case scenarios occur. All 2.2 million residents of Gaza are currently dealing with high levels of acute food insecurity.
In December, the group had warned that Gaza could see famine within six months if the fighting did not cease and more humanitarian aid was not allowed into the territory. Unfortunately, the conditions needed to prevent famine have not been met since then.
Famine, as defined by the group, occurs under three conditions: when at least 20 percent of households face an extreme lack of food, at least 30 percent of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and there is a death rate of at least two adults or four children per 10,000 people each day due to starvation or malnutrition-related diseases.