GAZA – More than two-thirds of the Gaza Strip’s population could face severe hunger by the end of 2026, an international food security monitoring body has warned, citing shrinking humanitarian aid, deep funding shortages, and continued restrictions on access to the besieged enclave.
The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that recent improvements in food security and child nutrition are rapidly being reversed as humanitarian assistance declines. The gains had followed a temporary increase in aid deliveries after the October 2025 ceasefire but are now at risk of being completely lost.
According to the report, food consumption remains well below minimum requirements for most Palestinian households across Gaza. Field teams documented families resorting to desperate survival strategies, including begging and searching through garbage for food amid the absence of adequate assistance.
Hunger expected to worsen
The IPC estimates that approximately 1.2 million Palestinians, representing 59 percent of Gaza’s population, experienced crisis-level or worse food insecurity between mid-April and the end of June 2026.
Of those, around 212,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger that pose an immediate threat to their lives.
The report projects that the number of Palestinians suffering acute food insecurity will exceed 1.4 million people by December—roughly 67 percent of Gaza’s population—if humanitarian aid continues to decline and Israeli military operations and restrictions persist.
Aid cuts deepen humanitarian crisis
Most Palestinians in Gaza now depend almost entirely on humanitarian assistance after nearly two years of Israel’s war on the Strip, which has devastated the economy, destroyed civilian infrastructure, and forcibly displaced the majority of the population.
The IPC stressed that previous signs of improvement were fragile and have begun to unravel as aid deliveries decrease. Humanitarian agencies warn that the reduction in food assistance threatens to push Gaza into an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe.
Nutrition programs have also been severely affected. Assistance for pregnant and breastfeeding women has been cut dramatically, with the number of beneficiaries falling by half to only 6,000 women between January and May 2026, raising concerns over worsening maternal and child health.
Funding shortages and access restrictions
The report attributes the deteriorating situation to severe funding shortfalls facing UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, alongside continued security constraints that limit relief operations across Gaza.
Aid agencies say restrictions on movement and access have made it increasingly difficult to deliver food, medicine, and other essential supplies to communities throughout the enclave.
Israel rejects findings
Israeli authorities rejected the findings of the international assessment, describing the report as “biased.”
While acknowledging food shortages at various stages of the war, Israel has consistently denied pursuing a policy of starvation, maintaining that it allows sufficient humanitarian aid to enter Gaza through crossings under its control.
Water crisis compounds suffering
Humanitarian organizations have also warned of an unprecedented collapse of Gaza’s water and sanitation systems, saying the breakdown has intensified the food crisis by accelerating the spread of disease.
Access to clean drinking water has become increasingly scarce, forcing Palestinians to endure long waits and dangerous journeys simply to obtain water for their families.
UN commission cites genocide
Separately, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israeli actions in Gaza amount to genocide, stating that turning daily survival into a struggle for food, water, and medicine forms part of a broader policy aimed at destroying the conditions necessary for Palestinian life.
Rising death toll
Meanwhile, medical authorities in Gaza reported a continued rise in casualties resulting from Israel’s military offensive.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 73,311 Palestinians have been killed and 173,924 others wounded since October 7, 2023, underscoring the devastating human toll of the ongoing war.
With food consumption remaining critically inadequate for most households, humanitarian organizations warn that growing numbers of Palestinians are now scavenging through garbage in search of food, highlighting the rapidly deteriorating conditions across the besieged Gaza Strip.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=76637
