UN Expert Says US ‘Complicit’ in Gaza Starvation
Al Jazeera

A UN expert says the US is complicit in the ‘political act’ to starve Gaza, after a new report predicted famine is imminent in the north.

UN warns that 1.1 million people are facing extreme shortages of food.

Famine Imminent in North Gaza, UN Says –
70% of Population Face Catastrophic Hunger
The Independent

(March 19, 2024) — Widespread famine is imminent in north Gaza, where an estimated 70 per cent of the population faces catastrophic hunger, a UN report has said — warning of a “major acceleration of death” if an immediate ceasefire is not reached alongside an increase in aid.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), whose assessments are relied on by UN agencies, said that nearly three-quarters of people in parts of northern Gaza were now afflicted by the most severe level of food shortage, far exceeding the 20 per cent famine threshold.

Those in the two regions of northern Gaza would face famine between now and May, the report said. It estimated residents would be dying at famine scale imminently, and children under four may already be. In all, 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, around half the total population, were experiencing “catastrophic” shortages of food, the worst category and nearly double the levels form the last report in December. In the worst-case scenario, the IPC said central and southern Gaza could also face the risk of famine by July.

“The actions needed to prevent famine require an immediate political decision for a ceasefire together with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza,” the IPC report said. “All efforts must be made to ensure the provision of food, water, medicines, and protection of civilians, as well as to restore and provide health, water, and sanitation services, and energy.”

Famine has only been declared just twice in the past 13 years: in parts of Somalia in 2011 and in parts of South Sudan in 2017 but never in the Middle East. The report said that the lack of access aid agencies have had to bring aid in has had a significant impact, with UN and EU officials accusing Israel of a “man-made” famine.

Babies among the dead and dying as Israelii-mposed famine spreads.

Famine Imminent as 1.1 Million, Half of Gaza,
Experience Catastrophic Food Insecurity
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) i

GAZA STRIP (March 23, 2024) — The IPC acute food insecurity analysis conducted in December 2023 warned of a risk that Famine may occur by the end of May 2024 if an immediate cessation of hostilities and sustained access for the provision of essential supplies and services to the population did not take place.

Since then, the conditions necessary to prevent famine have not been met and the latest evidence confirms that Famine is imminent in the northern governorates and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024.

According to the most likely scenario, both North Gaza and Gaza Governorates are classified in IPC Phase 5 (Famine) with reasonable evidence, with 70% (around 210,000 people) of the population in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe).

Continued conflict and the near-complete lack of access to the northern governorates for humanitarian organizations and commercial trucks will likely compound heightened vulnerabilities and extremely limited food availability, access and utilization, as well as access to healthcare, water, and sanitation.

The famine threshold for household acute food insecurity has already been far exceeded and, given the latest data showing a steeply increasing trend in cases of acute malnutrition, it is highly likely that the famine threshold for acute malnutrition has also been exceeded. The upward trend in non-trauma mortality is also expected to accelerate, resulting in all famine thresholds likely to be passed imminently.

The southern governorates of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and the Governorate of Rafah, are classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). However, in a worst-case scenario, these governorates face a risk of Famine through July 2024.

The entire population in the Gaza Strip (2.23 million) is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Between mid-March and mid-July, in the most likely scenario and under the assumption of an escalation of the conflict including a ground offensive in Rafah, half of the population of the Gaza Strip (1.11 million people) is expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), the most severe level in the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale. This is an increase of 530,000 people (92 percent) compared to the previous analysis.