A new joint UN report has warned that the entire population of Gaza—2.1 million people—is expected to face Crisis-level or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) acute food insecurity through September 2025. Of that number, approximately 470,000 are projected to suffer from Catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), the most severe level of food insecurity.
The early warning report, issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), said the risk of famine in Gaza is rising sharply. Ongoing large-scale military operations continue to obstruct the delivery of vital food and humanitarian aid. Alongside this humanitarian emergency, the report cited soaring food prices, widespread loss of livelihoods, and a continued commercial blockade as factors driving the region toward economic collapse.
The report also highlighted five global hunger hotspots—Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali—where populations face extreme hunger and are at risk of starvation and death without urgent humanitarian intervention and coordinated international action. These areas are grappling with intensifying conflict, economic shocks, and environmental disasters, worsened by restricted humanitarian access and critical funding shortages.
“This report makes it very clear: hunger today is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency for millions,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “We must act now, and act together, to save lives and protect livelihoods. Supporting food production—even in the harshest conditions—is not only urgent, it’s essential.”
In Gaza, the humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels due to a blockade imposed by Israeli authorities since March 2, 2023, which has halted the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and aid. At the same time, the Israeli military continues to escalate its offensive on the besieged enclave.
Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, over 184,000 civilians—mostly women and children—have been killed or injured. More than 11,000 people remain missing, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced amid the ongoing devastation.
