Gaza Faces Imminent Famine as Aid Blockade Enters 70th Day, UN Warns

The entire population of Gaza is now at "critical risk of famine," UN-backed food security experts warned Monday, as the war between Israel and Hamas reaches its 19th month and vital aid remains blocked for over two months.

Key Takeaways:

• 500,000+ Gazans (1 in 5) face starvation.

• Food prices up 3,000% since February.

• UN shelters bombed; aid centers destroyed.

• Israel's aid plan deemed "highly insufficient."

• Famine "highly likely" by September if blockade continues.

"Catastrophic" Food Shortages as Prices Skyrocket

A staggering 500,000 people—one in five Gazans—now face starvation, according to the latest report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Basic goods essential for survival have been depleted or will run out within weeks, leaving the enclave's 2.1 million residents in "high levels of acute food insecurity."

Prices for essentials have surged to unimaginable levels: a 25-kilogram sack of wheat flour has seen a 3,000 percent increase.

UN Shelters Bombed as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The dire food crisis comes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, including attacks on UN-run shelters.

On Saturday, a UNRWA school in Gaza City was hit, killing at least two people and injuring others. A day earlier, four more died when another UNRWA facility in Jabalia camp was bombed, completely destroying the agency's office and damaging a nearby aid distribution center—which was already empty due to the blockade.

UNRWA confirmed it ran out of food for Gaza more than two weeks ago, leaving millions without reliable access to meals.

Israel's Aid Plan "Highly Insufficient," Experts Say

Despite international pressure, Israel's proposed aid distribution plan has been dismissed by the IPC as "highly insufficient" to meet Gaza's needs for food, water, shelter, and medicine. The UN and other aid groups warn the plan could create "significant access barriers" for desperate civilians.

With Israel launching a new large-scale military operation, the IPC warns there is a "high risk of famine (IPC Phase 5)" between now and September 30.

Social Collapse as Desperation Grows

With hunger spreading, many families have turned to "extreme coping strategies," including scavenging trash for food. But even that last resort is failing—one in four households report finding "no valuable garbage left."

"Social order is breaking down," the IPC said, painting a grim picture of a society on the brink of total humanitarian collapse.

Global Call for Action

The IPC's assessments are used by aid agencies to prioritize crisis responses worldwide. Its latest findings underscore that Gaza is now among the worst hunger crises on the planet, with 15% of people in Rafah, North Gaza, and Gaza City already in famine-like conditions (IPC5).

"Children are being starved by design, under Israeli authorities' total siege. We have the food, we have the aid and we know how to treat malnutrition in children – what we don't have is access," Save the Children Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Ahmad Alhendawi said Monday.

"At any given moment in Gaza, a child, someone's whole world, could be killed by bombs and bullets, starvation and disease. The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver life-saving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight."

Meantime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was undeterred. "We are destroying more and more homes, they have nowhere to return to. The only inevitable outcome will be the desire of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip," he told the the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday, according to The Jerusalem Post.

As international pressure mounts for a ceasefire and full aid access, the world watches to see if diplomacy can avert an even greater catastrophe.

(Sources: IPC, UNRWA, eyewitness reports).