The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, has announced that there is no longer famine in Gaza after access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries improved following the start of the fragile ceasefire in October.
The new report by the world’s leading authority on food crises comes months after the group said famine was occurring in Gaza City and likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to humanitarian aid restrictions.
The report said that there were “notable improvements” in food security and nutrition following an October ceasefire and no famine has been detected.
Still, the IPC warned that the situation remains “highly fragile” and the entire Gaza Strip is in danger of starvation with nearly 2,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
The IPC, however, warned that the situation in Gaza remains critical.
“Under a worst-case scenario, which would include renewed hostilities and a halt in humanitarian and commercial inflows, the entire Gaza Strip [would be] at risk of famine through mid-April 2026. This underscores the severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
The IPC said that needs remain immense, and sustained, expanded and unhindered aid is required.
It added that more than 100,000 people in Gaza were experiencing catastrophic conditions, but projected that figure to decline to about 1,900 people by April 2026.
It said that the entire Gaza Strip was classified in an emergency phase, one step below catastrophic conditions.
The latest assessment by the monitor comes four months after it reported that 514,000 people – nearly a quarter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip – were experiencing famine. Israel controls all access to the besieged enclave, with international aid organisations stating that Israel has allowed far fewer than 600 trucks a day, in violation of the ceasefire.
According to the report, the spread of famine had been offset by a significant reduction in conflict, a proposed peace plan and improved access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries.
Displacement is one of the key drivers behind the food insecurity, with more than 70% of Gaza’s population living in makeshift shelters and relying on assistance. Other factors such as poor hygiene and sanitation as well as restricted access to food are also exacerbating the hunger crisis, the IPC said.
The IPC said that while humanitarian access has improved compared with previous analysis periods, that access fluctuates daily and is limited and uneven across the Gaza Strip.
To prevent further loss of life, expanded humanitarian assistance including food, fuel, shelter and health care is urgently needed, according to the group’s experts, who warned that over the next 12 months, more than 100,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and require treatment.
COGAT Rejects IPC Findings
The Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, known as COGAT, said that it strongly rejected the findings.
COGAT said that the agency adheres to the ceasefire and allows the agreed amount of aid to reach the strip, noting that the aid quantities “significantly exceed the nutritional requirements of the population” in Gaza according to accepted international methodologies, including the United Nations.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that it also rejects the findings, saying that the IPC’s report doesn’t reflect reality in Gaza and more than the required amount of aid was reaching the territory. The ministry said that the IPC ignores the vast volume of aid entering Gaza, because the group relies primarily on data related to UN trucks, which account for only 20% of all aid trucks.
The IPC said that the report totals include commercial and UN trucks and its information is based on UN and COGAT data.
Israel’s government has rejected the IPC’s past findings, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the previous report an “outright lie.”
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