The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, August 22, 2025, a grave assessment made by experts at the Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The declaration unequivocally blamed "systematic obstruction of aid" by Israel for the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian territory. Initially, the famine was confirmed to affect approximately 500,000 people in the Gaza governorate, encompassing about a fifth of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City. Projections by the IPC indicated a rapid worsening situation, with the famine expected to expand to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by the end of September, ultimately impacting around two-thirds of Gaza. The IPC report highlighted that the deterioration between July and August was the most severe since it began analyzing hunger in Gaza, attributing it to a sharp escalation in the war and severe restrictions on supplies, including a complete ban on aid from Gaza for two months in early March.

Israel vehemently rejected the famine declaration, with its foreign ministry dismissing the report as "based on Hamas lies laundered through organisations with vested interests." The Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, also lambasted the findings, asserting that "there is no famine in Gaza" and that previous IPC reports had "proven inaccurate." COGAT further argued that the report overlooked recent efforts to "stabilise the humanitarian situation" and relied on "partial data," ignoring information provided by Israel. The ministry also claimed a "massive influx of aid has flooded the Strip with staple foods and caused a sharp decline in food prices" in recent weeks, suggesting the assessment would be "thrown into the despicable trash bin of political documents."

UN agencies and aid groups had been warning for months about a looming famine in Gaza, where Israel has severely restricted aid and at times completely cut it off during its nearly two-year conflict with the militant group Hamas. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher stressed the famine was "entirely preventable," lamenting that food could not reach the territory "because of systematic obstruction by Israel." He added that the famine should "haunt us all," as it could have been prevented "if we had been allowed." Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, went further, stating it was "a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare" and that it "may also amount to the war crime of wilful killing." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire, emphasizing, "We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity."

The grim reality on the ground was further underscored by the IPC report, which detailed that after 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip were facing "catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death," a number projected to reach 614,000 by the end of September. The humanitarian crisis is compounded by ongoing military operations. Israel this week doubled down on plans to launch a new offensive to capture Gaza City, despite international outcry, believing it would contribute to the defeat of Hamas. Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened that "the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists in Gaza" if they do not agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, which include the release of all hostages and disarmament. He warned that Gaza City, "the capital of Hamas," would become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun, two cities largely razed in previous operations.

The human toll was vividly described by Um Ibrahim Younes, a 43-year-old mother of four living in the remnants of her destroyed home in Gaza City, who recounted, "It feels like we are in hell. I’m going insane. I cannot imagine being displaced again." She expressed the unbearable burden of displacement, shelling, and hunger on her frail body and her children. The UN humanitarian office has cautioned that the planned Israeli operation in Gaza City would have "a horrific humanitarian impact" on an already exhausted population, especially after the Israeli defence ministry authorized the call-up of approximately 60,000 reservists for the operation.

Meanwhile, efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release continued. Mediators awaited an official Israeli response to their latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas had accepted earlier in the week. Palestinian sources indicated the new deal involved staggered hostage releases, while Israel insisted on the release of all captives at once. The conflict began with Hamas's October 2023 attack, which resulted in 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians. Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still in Gaza, with the Israeli military stating 27 are dead. Israel's offensive has tragically led to the deaths of at least 62,192 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations deems reliable. Ahead of the report's release, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized its findings, posting on X: "You know who IS starving? The hostages kidnapped and tortured by uncivilised Hamas savages."