Is famine about to be declared in Gaza?
When World Health Organisation officials visited Gaza last week, they confirmed children had begun to die of starvation there.
Aid agencies and world leaders have consistently warned of the risks of famine in the territory since war broke out on 7 October.
They say not enough aid is being allowed through the border, but Israel says it has tried to speed up checking processes – and bottlenecks are beyond its control.
As the situation worsens in the north of the strip, authorities are conducting a famine review to assess whether one should be officially declared.
What is famine?
Famine levels are assessed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), which was set up by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation in 2004.
According to its definition, famine is a “situation in which starvation and extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition are evident”.
The IPC uses a one-to-five scale that ranges from ‘minimal’ to ‘famine’.
Gaza is currently in the fourth ’emergency’ phase. For an area to be put into the fifth phase, the criteria says: “Even with any humanitarian assistance, at least one in five households have an extreme lack of food and other basic needs where starvation, death, and destitution are evident.”
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) also stipulates that 30 percent of children must be suffering from acute malnutrition and that two in every 10,000 people are dying from starvation, disease, or malnutrition.
How often are famines declared?
Currently there are no countries in an official state of famine, according to the criteria.
But WFP warns that 47 million people across 54 countries are experiencing “emergency” levels of hunger or worse – and risk being pushed into famine soon.
Most of these are in Africa, but hunger is expected to rise globally in the coming years.
Famine mostly occurs in places where humanitarian access is restricted.
Outside Gaza, Yemen and South Sudan are currently at great risk, with “conflict, insecurity and resulting displacement driving acute hunger to alarming levels”.
Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Somalia are also being closely monitored.
What are hunger levels like in Gaza?
The last IPC report, which covers up to 7 February, said that Gaza’s entire population (2.2 million people) was experiencing ‘crisis or worse’ hunger levels.
It noted: “This is the highest share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity the IPC has ever classified for any given area or country.”
Around 50% of the population (1.17m people) were in the second-highest ’emergency’ category, and one in four households (half a million people) were in the famine category.
“Virtually all” Palestinians in Gaza are skipping meals every day, it added, with adults going hungry so children can eat.
The IPC has now activated its famine review committee to re-assess the situation.
According to UNICEF, since November, Gazan children have had access to less water than is needed to survive.
It warns: “UNICEF projects that in the next few weeks, child wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition in children, could increase from pre-crisis conditions by nearly 30 percent – affecting up to 10,000 children.”
When a WHO team visited Gaza last weekend, it confirmed the deaths of at least 10 children from starvation during the visit.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday that more than 20 had died, with “dozens dying silently” elsewhere, unable to reach hospitals.
What has Israel said?
Israel has been criticised for not allowing enough aid into Gaza, particularly after 100 people were killed scrambling to get food from an aid delivery last week.
On Thursday the Israeli body responsible for access to Gaza told Sky News further border crossings could be opened if the government instructed it to do so.
Israel says it is not blocking aid into Gaza and that the deadly aid truck incident unfolded when “a mob ambushed” the convoy, denying claims that shots were fired.
But the UK has warned that its patience over the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “running thin”. The US, in coalition with Jordan and others, has begun airdropping its own aid, while South Africa has approached the International Court of Justice in a bid to get it to intervene.