Entire Gaza population at critical risk of famine, UN-backed assessment says

Famine is not currently occurring in Gaza, the assessment says, but it calls for urgent action to increase humanitarian aid.

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The latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said there had been a "major deterioration" since October 2024, but concluded famine was not currently occurring.

The two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas "led to a temporary reprieve" in Gaza, the report said, but renewed hostilities and an Israeli blockade on aid - ongoing since early March - had "reversed" any improvements.

Some 244,000 people were currently experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity, it said, and called for urgent action to prevent the "increasingly likely" risk of famine.

Israel renewed its military operations in Gaza in mid-March and has prevented food, medication and other aid from entering Gaza for 70 days, saying it is putting pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages.