Israel Gaza war: what is a famine

A. On August 22, 2025, the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that conditions in Gaza Governorate, including Gaza City, had reached “famine” (IPC Phase 5). UN agencies including FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and the WHO endorsed the finding the same day, describing it as the first officially declared famine in West Asia. The IPC analysis concluded that more than half a million people were already experiencing starvation and preventable death, with famine expected to spread south unless aid access improves immediately.

The IPC defines famine by a broad set of measurable outcomes, not food shortages alone. Three thresholds in particular must be met simultaneously:

(i) At least 20% of households in the affected area must face an extreme lack of food and be unable to meet basic needs;

(ii) Acute malnutrition among children aged six to 59 months must reach or exceed 30%, measured through weight-for-height, mid-upper arm circumference, and/or the presence of nutritional oedema; and

(iii) Mortality must be elevated, with a crude death rate of at least two per 10,000 people per day, or an under-five death rate of at least four per 10,000 per day.

Famine represents the highest level of acute food insecurity on the IPC scale. But classification is based on outcomes rather than causes. In Gaza, UN agencies have emphasised that the famine is human-made, driven by armed conflict, displacement, and strict restrictions on humanitarian access, all driven by Israeli forces. Political decisions, rather than the availability of aid itself, determine whether food and medicine reach those who need them in time.

Have a science question? Email it to [email protected] with ‘Question Corner’ in the subject line.