Food shortages in parts of the Gaza Strip have already far exceeded famine levels, and famine threatens the enclave by May, a U.N.-backed report forecast. But what is famine? And what does it mean to declare one? 

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Title: Explained: What does it mean to declare famine?

A U.N.-backed report recently highlighted severe food shortages in certain areas of the Gaza Strip, noting that these shortages have already surpassed famine levels. The report also forecasts that famine could threaten the entire enclave by May. The situation prompts questions about the definition of famine and the implications of declaring one.

Famine is a term that carries significant weight, indicating an extreme scarcity of food that affects a large portion of a population, leading to widespread malnutrition and death from starvation or malnutrition-related diseases. The declaration of famine involves specific criteria and signals an urgent need for international aid and intervention to prevent further human suffering.



Explained: What does it mean to declare famine?

The latest report on food insecurity in Gaza is an appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians. A United Nations-backed food security report says famine is looming by May in the Gaza Strip and that parts of the enclave have already far exceeded famine levels. But what is famine, and who declares one? Famine is assessed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, an initiative of more than a dozen UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups. In a famine, food shortages are followed first by widespread malnutrition and then mass deaths. For the IPC to declare famine, at least 20 percent of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two of every 10,000 people dying daily from starvation, malnutrition and disease. The number of people facing catastrophic hunger in the Gaza Strip has reached 1.1 million, the IPC said Monday. That's about half the population, and double the figure deemed at risk in December. The IPC said malnutrition is probably already at famine levels. It did not have enough data on death rates in Gaza, but estimated residents would be dying at famine scale imminently. It said children under four may already be. Gaza health authorities have reported children dying of malnutrition or dehydration, but the collapsing health system has made the situation hard to monitor, UN officials say. The UN views Israel as the occupying power in Gaza, and says it has a responsibility to facilitate humanitarian operations. Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the Laws of War, the occupying power, quote, has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population. Israeli leaders have long argued that Gaza and the West Bank are not formally occupied on the basis that they were captured from Jordan and Egypt during the 1967 war, rather than from a sovereign Palestine. Israel also stresses the Jewish people's historical and biblical ties to the land. Hamas fighters launched an attack on Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and seized 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege and assault on Gaza that has since killed more than 31,500 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say. The U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency says the number of aid trucks permitted to enter Gaza has dwindled. In February, an average of 97 trucks were entering a day, well below the target of 500 daily. The United Nations has described aid access as unpredictable and insufficient, blaming military operations, insecurity and extensive restrictions to delivery of essential supplies. Israel blames the United Nations for delivery issues, saying limitations on the quantity and pace of aid are dependent on the capacity of the U.N. and other agencies. A declaration of famine does not trigger any formal response, but it can help focus global attention. Famine has been declared just twice in the past 13 years, in Somalia in 2011 and in South Sudan in 2017. But as one U.N. office noted, once a famine is declared, it is too late for too many people.

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Israel-Gaza War