ROME, December 19. /TASS/. No areas in the Gaza Strip are currently classified in famine, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for Gaza released in a joint statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Program (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, they warned that the situation that improved following the October ceasefire and expanded humanitarian and commercial access is fragile and could be reversed without increased and sustained support. "This welcome progress remains extremely fragile as the population continues to struggle with massive infrastructure destruction and collapsed livelihoods and local food production, given restrictions on humanitarian operations," they said.
According to the latest IPC report, at least 1.6 million people, or 77% of the population, including over 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, are still facing high levels of acute food insecurity in the Gaza Strip. This situation is forecasted to continue through April 2026. Four governorates (North Gaza, Gaza Governorate, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis) are currently classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) through April 2026, with Gaza Governorate downgraded from the previous Famine (IPC Phase 5) classification. But, despite downgrading from IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe/Famine) to IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), the situation is characterized by severe food insecurity, high levels of death and malnutrition, with urgent intervention required.
"In addition, limited access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, health care, and the widespread destruction of cropland, livestock, fishing activities, roads and other critical infrastructure pose tremendous challenges for people and for ongoing relief efforts," the statement said. "Humanitarian needs remain staggering, with current assistance addressing only the most basic survival requirements. Children under five, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women, remain among the most vulnerable, facing worryingly high levels of malnutrition despite recent improvements."
Tensions flared up in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing residents of border settlements and taking more than 250 hostages. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to dismantle Hamas' military and political structures and free all hostages.
Israel and Hamas resumed Egypt-, Qatar-, United States-, and Turkey-mediated indirect talks on settling the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6. On October 9, the parties to the conflict signed an agreement on the implementation of phase one of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan. The ceasefire came into effect on October 10.