Food Security Expert: Famine Imminent in Northern Gaza

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – There is a “high likelihood that famine will soon occur in several areas” in the Northern Gaza Strip, a committee of global food security experts warned on Friday, November 8, 2024, when Israel carried out a military attack against the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, in the region.

“Urgent action, within days, not weeks, is needed from all parties directly involved in the conflict, or those with influence over their behavior, to prevent and alleviate this disaster situation,” said the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) in a rare warning.

This warning came just days before the deadline given by the US to Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face possible restrictions on US military aid.

The Israeli mission to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“If effective action is not taken by stakeholders with influence, this overshadowing disaster is likely to dwarf anything we have seen so far in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023,” said the FRC committee.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that between 75,000 to 95,000 people are still in Northern Gaza.

The Famine Review Committee said that “it can be assumed that famine, malnutrition, and excess deaths due to malnutrition and disease are rapidly increasing” in Northern Gaza.

“The threshold of famine may have been crossed or will occur imminently,” they said.

Israel launched a massive military attack in Northern Gaza last month. The United States stated that it is monitoring to ensure that its ally’s actions on the ground show that they do not have a “policy of famine” in the northern region.

The Famine Review Committee reviewed findings from global famine monitors – an internationally recognized standard known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

IPC defines famine as a condition where at least 20% of the population in an area experiences extreme food shortages, with at least 30% of children suffering from acute malnutrition and two out of every 10,000 people dying daily from hunger or malnutrition and disease.

IPC is an initiative involving UN bodies, national governments, and aid groups that set global standards for measuring food crises.

IPC warned last month that the entire Gaza Strip is at risk of famine, while senior UN officials last week described the Northern Gaza Strip as “apocalyptic” and everyone there is “at risk of dying from disease, famine, and violence.”

The amount of aid entering Gaza has dropped to its lowest level in a year, according to UN data, and the UN has repeatedly accused Israel of obstructing and blocking aid delivery efforts, especially to Northern Gaza.

“The average daily number of trucks entering Gaza at the end of October was about 58 trucks per day,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, director of food security and nutrition analysis at the UN World Food Programme, to Reuters on Friday.

“We were getting around 200 trucks a day in September and August, so this is a significant decrease,” he said.

Israel dismissed food security expert warnings of famine in parts of the Northern Gaza Strip where they are at war with Palestinian residents.

“Unfortunately, researchers continue to rely on partial and biased data as well as shallow sources with personal interests,” the military said in a statement.

The Israeli military said it has stepped up relief efforts including opening additional crossings on Friday.

REUTERS | AL JAZEERA

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