The confirmed famine in Gaza City is “the failure of humanity,” says the UN chief

The United Nations has described confirmed famine in the city of Gaza and its surroundings as a “failure of humanity”.

Antonio Guttes said that the situation was an “artificial disaster” after a body supported by the UN, which identifies the world’s hunger levels, increased its food insecurity in certain parts of the territory of phase 5 – the highest and most serious.

The integrated classification of the food security phase (IPC) claims that more than half a million people across Gaza are faced with “catastrophic” conditions characterized by “famine, destitution and death”.

The report was described as “lie downright” by Israel, which denied famine on the territory.

The UN says that Israel continues to restrict the amount of aid entering Gaza, which Israel also denies.

His refusals are in direct contradiction with what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, several UN bodies and several Israeli allies, including the United Kingdom, said.

The IPC says that “immediate and on -scale response” is necessary or that there will be an “unacceptable escalation” in deaths linked to famine.

He predicts that between mid-August and the end of September, famine will develop through the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis band.

During this period, almost a third of the population – nearly 641,000 people – are expected to face “catastrophic conditions” in phase 5 of the IPC, while the number of people to meet “emergency” conditions in phase 4 of the IPC will probably increase to 1.14 million – or 58% of the population.

The report also provides that until June 2026, malnutrition will threaten the lives of 132,000 children under the age of five.

Since the start of the war, the Ministry of Health managed by Gaza has reported that 271 people have died of malnutrition – including 112 children.

Only four previous famines have been classified by the IPC since its creation in 2004, the most recent in Sudan in 2024.

The IPC cannot officially declare famine – which is generally done by governments or the United Nations.

Reem Tawfiq Khader, 41, mother of five children from Gaza City, said: “The famine declaration has arrived too late, but it is still important.

“We haven’t eaten protein for five months. My youngest child is four years old – he doesn’t know what fruits and vegetables look like.”

Rida Hijjeh, 29, said the weight of her five -year -old Lamia daughter had increased from 19 kg (42 pounds) to 10.5 kg (23 lb). She said Lamia was in good health before the start of the war and had no previous illnesses.

“All of this occurred only because of famine,” she said. “There is simply nothing to eat for the child. There are no vegetables, no fruit.”

Now Lamia suffers from swelling in her legs, thinning of hair and nervous problems, she said.

In response to the report, the UN chief, Tom Fletcher, said that famine was entirely avoidable, saying that food could not go to Palestinian territory “due to systematic obstruction by Israel”.

The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said: “Just when it seems that there are no words left to describe living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added:” famine “.”

He described it as “not a mystery”, but rather “an artificial disaster, a moral act and a failure of humanity itself”.

He added that Israel has “unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty to ensure food and medical supplies of the population”.

Phillipe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said: “It is hungry by Design & made by the government of Israel”.

The head of the United Nations Human Rights, Volker Turk, described famine as “the direct result of the measures taken by the Israeli government”, which “illegally restricted” the entry of the aid.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said that famine has described famine as “moral indignation”.

“The Israeli government’s refusal to allow sufficient help in Gaza caused this artificial disaster,” he wrote on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Israel has no famine policy, Israel has a starvation policy. Since the start of the war, Israel has allowed 2 million tonnes of aid to enter the Gaza Strip, on a ton of aid per person.”

In recent months, Israel has undergone a general condemnation for the aid situation in the Gaza Strip.

Last month, after weeks of increasing pressure, the Israeli army said it had aerial drops in Gaza – a decision that had been criticized at the time by aid agencies as a “grotesque distraction”.

Since then, other decreases of aid have taken place – but warnings have been issued on their safety, with information that civilians have been affected and killed by the falling pallets.

Earlier this week, the BBC Verify found 10 distinct occasions where the aid was deposited in an area that the Israeli army explicitly warned people not to enter.

In addition to the Airdrops, Israel said that it would designate humanitarian corridors for the United Nations convoys. However, Tuesday, the UN warned that the “aid net” entering Gaza was insufficient to “avoid generalized famine”.

COGAT, the Israeli military organization responsible for help, indicates that around 300 aid trucks enter daily, but the UN says that 600 supplies per day are necessary.

The IPC report comes when Israel is preparing to launch a new military offensive aimed at occupy Gaza City.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Hamas in the territory.

Most of the Gaza population has also been moved several times; It is estimated that more than 90% of the houses are damaged or destroyed; And health, water, sanitation and hygiene systems collapsed.