Gaza starvation is real and it is happening now, UN World Food Programme says – Middle East crisis live

Cindy McCain said she had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about allowing more food into the strip

We mentioned the findings of the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in our opening post.

Here is a bit more detail about the report which said last week that more than half a million people across Gaza are facing “catastrophic” conditions characterised by “starvation, destitution and death”.

The IPC said an “entirely man-made” famine is happening in Gaza City, the territory’s largest, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.

Only four famines have been declared by the IPC since it was established in 2004, most recently in Sudan last year. The IPC is a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition.