A famine has been officially declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with the crisis projected to worsen in the coming weeks, expanding to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, according to a new report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). More than half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing “catastrophic conditions,” characterised by starvation, destitution, and an increasing number of deaths. The IPC report marks the first formal famine declaration outside of Africa and the fifth since the organisation’s inception in 2004. Previous famines declared by the IPC include Somalia (2011), and Sudan (2017, 2020, and 2024). “After 22 months of relentless conflict, over 500,000 people in Gaza are facing catastrophic conditions,” the report said. An additional one million people are experiencing severe food insecurity. Projected Expansion of Famine The IPC warned that nearly a third of Gaza’s population — approximately 641,000 people — are expected to face catastrophic conditions within a month. Acute malnutrition is expected to worsen rapidly, with at least 132,000 children projected to suffer from severe malnutrition over the next year — more than double earlier estimates from May 2024. Due to limited access and data from northern Gaza, the IPC was unable to make a precise classification for that region, but noted conditions there may be even worse. What Constitutes a Famine? Under IPC guidelines, famine is declared when an area meets the following criteria: International Outcry and Accusations The famine declaration has triggered global condemnation and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk called the crisis a “man-made disaster” and accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. “It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare, and the resulting deaths may also amount to the war crime of wilful killing,” he stated. UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the alarm, calling the situation “a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself.” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the findings as “utterly horrifying and wholly preventable,” urging Israel to allow unhindered delivery of aid and calling for a halt to military operations in Gaza City — which he described as the “epicentre of the famine.” UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher made a direct appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Enough. Ceasefire. Open the crossings — north and south. All of them.” Israel Rejects Famine Claims The Israeli government has categorically denied the famine designation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the IPC report as “an outright lie,” insisting that Israel has no policy of starvation. “Since the beginning of the war, Israel has enabled the entry of over two million tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza — more than one ton per person,” he said. Israel’s foreign ministry claimed food prices in Gaza had dropped due to a “massive influx of aid” and blamed Hamas for obstructing deliveries. COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing aid coordination, also rejected the IPC’s conclusions, stating that over 100,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the conflict began. Death Toll from Malnutrition Rising Despite Israeli denials, Gaza’s health ministry reports at least 251 deaths due to famine and malnutrition, including 108 children. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported nearly 13,000 new admissions for acute malnutrition in children in July alone. Israel has challenged these figures, accusing Hamas of inflating the numbers and attributing many of the deaths to pre-existing health conditions.