Global Hunger Observatory: Famine has spread in northern Gaza Strip and is likely to expand

SadaNews - The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring observatory, reported today, Friday, that famine has spread in the northern region of the Gaza Strip and will likely expand next month, in an assessment that could increase pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

The classification noted that approximately 514,000 people, nearly a quarter of Gaza's population, are suffering from famine, and this number is expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September, according to reports from Reuters.

About 280,000 of these individuals live in the northern region of the strip, which includes Gaza City, known as Gaza Governorate, which the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification states is already in a state of famine, making it the first classification of its kind in the region.

The remainder live in Deir al-Balah in the central strip and Khan Younis in the south. The observatory anticipated that famine will impact these two areas by the end of next month.

Relief agencies, nutrition experts, and the United Nations have warned that the hunger crisis in Gaza has reached a critical point with declining supplies of fortified milk and other nutrient-rich materials, increasing the number of children at risk of hunger.

According to figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health, which were confirmed by the World Health Organization, deaths due to malnutrition and hunger are on the rise.

In a span of 22 months, there were 89 deaths due to malnutrition or hunger, most of whom were children under the age of 18. The ministry in the region announced on Wednesday the registration of 133 deaths, including 25 children under 18, in just the first 20 days of August.

Janet Bailey, nutrition officer at the International Rescue Committee, a New York-based relief organization, stated: "We are witnessing the worst human disaster ever measurable." She added, "Many more children will die, and many more pregnant and lactating women are suffering from malnutrition."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Israel in June of using civilians' food as a "weapon," describing it as a war crime after documenting the killing of hundreds by the Israeli army while they attempted to reach aid distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization supported by Israel and the United States.