Gaza Strip is on brink of famine, UN agencies warn

The Gaza Strip is on the brink of famine, UN agencies warned on Wednesday (July 30), according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) alert findings.

Malnutrition is soaring and children under five are dying of hunger-related causes with humanitarian access severely restricted, the U.N. said.

The U.N. estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food since May, most near militarised distribution sites of the GHF, which employs a U.S. logistics firm run by a former CIA officer and armed U.S. veterans. The GHF denies that there have been deadly incidents at its sites, and says the deadliest have been near other aid convoys.

The Israeli military has acknowledged that civilians have been harmed by its gunfire near distribution centers, and says its forces have now received better instructions. Israel accuses Hamas fighters of stealing aid - which the militants deny - and the U.N. of failing to prevent it. The U.N. says it has not seen evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon.

Gaza's food stocks have been running out since Israel, at war with Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 2023, cut off all supplies to the territory in March. That blockade was lifted in May but with restrictions that Israel says are needed to prevent aid being diverted to militant groups.

(Production: Natasha Montague)