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Aid cuts, hunger risk
A new assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population could face acute hunger by the end of the year as humanitarian agencies cut aid flows due to funding shortages.
“An international hunger monitoring body said on Thursday that more than two-thirds of the population in the Gaza Strip could face severe hunger by the end of this year, as humanitarian agencies cut aid deliveries due to a lack of funding”
The IPC said that between mid-April and the end of June, more than 1.2 million people, or about 59% of Gaza’s population, were experiencing acute hunger, including around 212,000 people in emergency conditions.
By December, the IPC expects that number to rise to more than 1.4 million people, or 67% of the population, while it said food consumption remains inadequate for most families and some households resort to begging or scavenging.
The UN said the gains since late 2025 remain extremely fragile and could quickly reverse without sustained humanitarian aid, increased funding, and the revival of the local economy, even as it reported that nearly 1.4 million people, or 67% of the population, are still facing acute food insecurity at crisis level or worse.
The UN also said 212,000 people still live in emergency (Phase 4) conditions, with access to humanitarian aid particularly difficult in areas near the line controlled by the Israeli army.
Numbers, children, water
The IPC assessment described a fragile nutrition picture even after improvements following the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying levels of acute malnutrition, especially among children, declined noticeably but gains are at risk of being eroded.
It projected that about 74,000 children will need treatment for acute malnutrition over the coming year, while around 25,000 pregnant or lactating women will need nutritional support, and it warned that rations remain insufficient in quantity, quality, and dietary diversity.
The UN said that in May, food parcels were distributed to about 1.5 million people and nutrition programs reached 60% of children under five, but it also warned that without new resources the gains could be quickly erased for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
The UN further reported that only one crossing point, Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem, in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave remains open, which it said severely limits the delivery of essential goods.
In parallel, the IPC said supplementary feeding programs for pregnant and lactating women were cut in half, reaching 6,000 women between January and May this year, as aid agencies reduce assistance amid funding shortages.
Disputes and what’s at stake
Israel rejected the IPC findings and has consistently denied accusations that it pursued a policy of starving Gaza, while it said it does not restrict the entry of food into Gaza and has facilitated the entry of more than 1.8 million tons of food into the enclave since October 2025.
“Hunger Looms for Gazans Amid Declining Aid Flows More than two-thirds of Gazans are at risk of facing severe hunger by year-end, as aid agencies reduce their assistance due to financial constraints”
COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees aid flows into Gaza, dismissed the IPC report as biased and accused Hamas of diverting and looting aid supplies, according to the assessment coverage.
The IPC and UN-linked reporting also warned that humanitarian access and aid flows are critical to prevent another sharp deterioration in food security, with the UN calling for sustained humanitarian aid and increased funding.
The UN said the majority of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain dependent on aid and that imports of fresh produce and protein remain irregular, even as it stressed the necessity of restoring livelihoods.
It added that more than 70% of Gaza’s arable land remains inaccessible and only 3% is currently cultivable, while FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said food security in Gaza cannot recover until local food production restarts and restrictions on agricultural inputs and humanitarian supplies are lifted.
