The UN declares famine in Gaza: "A failure of humanity"
Historic declaration of famine in Gaza: half a million civilians in extreme crisis. UN demands ceasefire and immediate aid.

Photo of Surajit Sarkar in Unsplash
The United Nations (UN) declared a famine in and around Gaza City on Friday, the first officially certified famine in the Middle East under the International Food Security Classification (IPC) system.
The resolution comes after months of conflict and blockade, which have left more than 500,000 people facing extreme hunger, destitution, and risk of death.
Devastating impact on the population of Gaza
The IPC report notes that entire families are surviving on just one meal a day, while children are showing severe signs of malnutrition. The situation, the UN warns, could worsen rapidly if humanitarian aid fails to enter the Strip.
“We are facing a man-made catastrophe, a failure of humanity,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who reiterated his call for a immediate ceasefire.
Consequences and accusations
UN experts hold the Israeli government directly responsible for restrictions on humanitarian access and the destruction of vital infrastructure. Organizations such as Amnesty International have called the famine entirely preventable and warned that it could constitute a war crime.
If the military offensive is not halted, the IPC anticipates that the famine could spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis before the end of September.
Urgent calls to the international community
Various humanitarian organizations have called on states to act urgently to ensure safe corridors for aid, halt the violence, and prevent the crisis from spreading.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, civilians are facing what could become the most serious episode of induced hunger in recent decades.
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