Gaza Nears Famine as Aid Blockade Starves Over 2 Million: WHO Urges Action

The Gaza Strip is witnessing one of the worst hunger emergencies in recent history, as more than 2.1 million people – the entire population – face prolonged and devastating food shortages due to the ongoing blockade and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. The crisis has been exacerbated since 2 March 2025, when a near-total halt of food, medical, and humanitarian supplies was enforced, effectively cutting off Gaza’s residents from essential lifelines.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today – a globally recognized food security monitoring system, of which the World Health Organization (WHO) is a partner – nearly half a million people are currently enduring catastrophic levels of hunger, also known as IPC Phase 5. This is the most severe phase, indicating starvation, acute malnutrition, and death.

Worsening Humanitarian Conditions

Three-quarters of Gaza’s population are now classified as experiencing “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” levels of food insecurity – the two most critical tiers of the IPC’s five-phase scale. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency, stating:

“We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick, and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border.”

The UN health agency warns that time is running out. Since the blockade began, at least 57 children have reportedly died from malnutrition-related causes, though this number is likely underestimated. If the current conditions persist, nearly 71,000 children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition over the next eleven months.

Deadly Cycle of Malnutrition and Disease

The blockade has triggered a vicious cycle where malnutrition and disease reinforce each other, increasing the risk of death, particularly among children. Malnutrition severely weakens the immune system, diminishing the body’s ability to recover from infections like pneumonia, measles, and diarrheal diseases. These same illnesses, in turn, increase the body’s nutritional needs while reducing the absorption of nutrients, worsening the condition.

Health services are nearly paralyzed, with vaccine coverage plummeting and access to clean water and sanitation virtually non-existent. WHO officials warn that children suffering from severe acute malnutrition urgently need therapeutic feeding and medical care, which are increasingly out of reach.

Pregnant Women and Infants at Heightened Risk

Among the most vulnerable are pregnant and breastfeeding women, with an estimated 17,000 requiring treatment for acute malnutrition in the months ahead. Malnourished mothers often cannot produce enough breastmilk, placing their infants – especially those under six months – at extreme risk. In such settings, breastfeeding is the only safe and viable option for infant nutrition and protection against disease, especially when clean water is scarce.

The compounded effects of chronic hunger and inadequate care during early development could result in stunted growth, impaired cognitive abilities, and lifelong health challenges, endangering an entire generation’s future.

WHO Decries Inadequate Aid Plans, Demands Unhindered Access

Recent proposals by Israeli authorities to establish aid distribution points within Gaza are being criticized as deeply insufficient. WHO and other UN bodies argue that these initiatives fall far short of meeting the massive, immediate needs of more than two million people.

The WHO reiterates calls from the broader UN system for all humanitarian principles – humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence – to be fully upheld. A well-coordinated humanitarian response mechanism already exists under UN leadership and must be allowed to operate freely to ensure rapid, needs-based, and equitable aid delivery.

The ongoing blockade continues to severely limit the WHO’s capacity to support 19 critical malnutrition treatment facilities. Supplies to treat only 500 children with acute malnutrition remain inside Gaza – a drop in the ocean compared to the dire needs. Similarly, stockpiles of medicines for injuries and infectious diseases are dwindling fast, with no possibility for replenishment unless aid routes are immediately reopened.

Lives at Stake: WHO Calls for Ceasefire, Access, and Dignity

As essential supplies, including life-saving therapeutic food and medical kits, sit just across the border, aid workers and humanitarian organizations are increasingly frustrated by bureaucratic and political blockades that are costing lives.

The WHO is calling for:

• Immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access into Gaza.

• Protection of health care facilities and personnel.

• A complete end to the blockade.

• Release of all hostages.

• A comprehensive ceasefire to prevent further suffering and to lay the groundwork for long-term peace.

“The blockade is starving people, obstructing their right to health, and robbing them of dignity and hope,” Dr. Tedros stated. “We must act now to prevent an officially declared famine – and more importantly, to save lives today.”

Without immediate intervention, Gaza risks descending fully into famine – a preventable tragedy unfolding in full view of the world.