The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), supported by the United Nations, officially declared famine in the Governorate of Gaza City, located in the central and northern area of the Palestinian enclave, this Friday.
PUBLICIDAD
The IPC, a global initiative aimed at improving the analysis of food security and nutrition to inform decisions, noted in a report that the established parameters are being met and that the Palestinian territory is in phase 5 of the classification, reflecting extreme lack of access to food and water, large-scale displacement, and a high mortality rate.
PUBLICIDAD
The text warns that this is a famine “created by man” and that, as such, “it can be reversed”. “There should be no doubt that immediate large-scale action is necessary. Any delay in delivering aid will only lead to an unacceptable increase in famine-related mortality,” the report states.
The United Nations is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UN has warned that these same parameters could be exceeded in the coming weeks in Deir al Balah and Khan Yunis in the central and southern part of the Palestinian enclave, according to the document, which points to “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity as the Israeli offensive progresses.
“The UN warned, ‘If a ceasefire is not implemented to allow aid to reach all those affected in the Gaza Strip, and if assistance and food are not delivered immediately, the death toll will increase.’”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, pointed out that the Palestinian population is going through a “hell” in Gaza and emphasized that it is a “failure for all of humanity.”
Despite the criticism from the UN and countries like France and the United Kingdom, Israel announced a military operation to occupy the City of Gaza, which would result in the displacement of a million people to the south of the Palestinian enclave.
Israel rejects the declaration of famine
According to Israel, the UN declaration of a famine state in the Gaza governorate is based on inaccurate data and “does not reflect the reality on the ground”.
Israeli authorities have been rejecting for weeks any accusation from the United Nations and international organizations about the devastating effects of their blockade on the enclave, which has been reinforced since the ceasefire was broken on March 18th.
“The report deliberately ignores the data provided to its authors at a meeting held before its publication and completely overlooks the efforts made in recent weeks to stabilize the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” says the statement from the Cogat (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) published on their social media account X.