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UN agency issues call for urgent action in wake of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is deeply alarmed by the deteriorating food security situation in the Gaza Strip, where the entire population of about 2.2 million people is now facing acute hunger, according to a new report published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global initiative.
The report states that the risk of famine increases with each additional day of hostilities and restricted humanitarian access, which is affecting and limiting access by significant portions of the population in the Gaza Strip to food, basic services and lifesaving assistance. The extreme concentration or isolation of people in inadequate shelters or areas without basic services are major contributor to the risk of famine.
More specifically, at least one in four households (more than half a million people) face catastrophic acute food insecurity conditions (IPC Phase 5). This is typically characterised by households experiencing an extreme lack of food, leading to starvation, alarmingly high acute malnutrition rates among children under five, and significant excess mortality. By its mandate and in coordination with its partners, FAO is fully committed to addressing the pressing humanitarian needs of the population in the Gaza Strip and additional needs emerging in the West Bank to safeguard and restore agriculture-based livelihoods, QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General said in a November statement.