UN Briefing: Famine Confirmed in Gaza, Humanitarian Crisis Worsens

Famine Confirmed in Gaza

• ⚠️ Famine is now occurring in Gaza's Khan Younis and Rafah governorates, confirmed by the IPC famine review committee.
• 📈 This situation is projected to expand, potentially affecting over 640,000 people by the end of September.
• 🎯 The crisis is described as a created catastrophe, not a natural disaster, resulting from conflict and restricted humanitarian access.

Devastating Impact on Vulnerable Populations

• 👶 Over 132,000 children under five are expected to suffer acute malnutrition by mid-2026, with over 43,000 at risk of death.
• 🤰 Pregnant and breastfeeding women face a surge in risk, with numbers predicted to jump from 17,000 to 55,000.
• 💔 The suffering behind the statistics represents human lives, with futures cut short and communities scarred.

Causes of the Humanitarian Catastrophe

• 💥 The famine is a direct result of massive civilian death, injury, destruction, and forced displacement.
• 🚫 It is exacerbated by 22 months of restricted delivery of essential supplies, degraded health and nutrition systems, and broken water and sanitation networks.
• 🌾 Gaza's food production system is destroyed, with 98% of crop land damaged and livestock decimated.

Humanitarian Response and Urgent Needs

• 🚚 While aid has increased recently, including wheat flour and therapeutic food, it is insufficient to reverse or stop the famine.
• 🔑 Greater volumes of life-saving assistance are needed, alongside the lifting of restrictions on essential items and an end to delays and denials.
• ⚖️ International humanitarian law prohibits starvation as a method of warfare and demands protection for civilians and humanitarian access.

Escalation in the West Bank and Call to Action

• ⚠️ Humanitarian needs are also deepening in the West Bank due to military operations, settler violence, and discriminatory policies.
• 🚨 The council and member states must ensure an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
• 🤝 Key actions include the unconditional release of all hostages, protection of civilians and infrastructure, unimpeded humanitarian access, and the restoration of commercial flows and local food production.