The Gaza Strip is witnessing a possible “worst-case scenario of famine” among civilians, the leading international organization for analyzing food crises said. Experts predict mass deaths if immediate and large-scale action is not taken, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
While no official declaration of famine has yet been made, the warning came after a global outcry over images of severely malnourished children in Gaza and reports of dozens of deaths from malnutrition in the nearly 22-month war.
International pressure has forced Israel to announce daily humanitarian pauses in fighting and airlift aid. However, the UN and the Palestinian Authority say that the situation on the ground remains largely unchanged.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system developed by the FAO and other organizations, the situation in Gaza, which has been close to the famine threshold for two years, has seriously deteriorated in recent weeks. The reason is also the enhanced blockade by Israel, which limits access to humanitarian aid.
Although an official declaration of famine requires specific data, access to field information in Gaza is almost impossible. Independent experts, however, believe that there is no need to wait for formal confirmation of the obvious.
„Just as a family doctor can make a diagnosis based on symptoms without laboratory tests, we can recognize the symptoms of famine in Gaza. "This is famine," said Alex de Waal, author of Mass Starvation: History and Future of Famine and director of the World Peace Fund.
According to the FAO, there is growing evidence of a looming mass famine: health and social systems are paralyzed, one in three Gazans go without food for days, and hospitals are reporting a sharp increase in deaths among children under five.
Women and girls are particularly vulnerable, facing the choice between dying of starvation in refugee camps or dying of violence while searching for food and water. According to UN Women, an estimated 1 million women and girls in Gaza are at risk of hunger, violence and crime.
According to IPC experts, the situation requires immediate and large-scale interventions. If not taken immediately, it will lead to widespread deaths across much of the Gaza Strip, the analysis states.