July 29 (UPI) -- The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is "the worst-case scenario of famine," amid widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease driving a surge in hunger-related deaths, a global hunger monitoring group said Tuesday.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in a bulletin that the latest food consumption data indicated famine thresholds had been reached in most of Gaza and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City -- but stopped short of issuing a formal famine notice.
"The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels," said IPC, which is backed by the United Nations, European Commission, World Health Organization and global NGO's.
The IPC said that since its last analysis in May, access to food across Gaza was now "alarmingly erratic and extremely perilous" due to a "devastating" intensification of bombing and ground operations that had displaced an additional 325,000 people, killed 6,700 people and razed critical infrastructure.
The group's Famine Review Committee said that despite the negative impact on the data caused by severely restricted humanitarian access, the evidence clearly showed a sharp jump in the rate of increase in "starvation, malnutrition and mortality."
