Famine in Gaza: The Burden of Hunger Falls on the Most Vulnerable
Gaza has officially become one of the four regions in the world declared to be in famine, with children, the elderly, and the sick bearing the brunt of hunger. Desperate residents say, "We have nothing left."
Kokcha News Agency – The United Nations has officially declared famine in Gaza, where the streets are filled with rubble and despair after 22 months of war. This makes Gaza one of only four regions globally to receive such a designation.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, all three thresholds required to declare famine have been surpassed. Since its establishment in 2004, the IPC has only declared famine four times. The report states, “This famine is entirely man-made, preventable, and reversible.” It warns that deaths will “increase exponentially” unless a ceasefire is achieved and essential food and services are immediately restored.
Amjad Shawa, Director of the Palestinian Civil Society Network in Gaza, expressed the dire situation: “We’ve been saying this for months, we’re living it, we’re witnessing it. We are very weak, very sick, and very tired.”
The report highlights that 500,000 to 800,000 people in Gaza are at risk, with the elderly, children, the sick, and those living alone being the most vulnerable.
Sabah Antaiz, a 55-year-old resident, told The Guardian, “I have no money to buy food, I can’t find wood. We only eat a little in the morning and a little in the evening. For breakfast, it’s cheese or bread with salt… No vegetables, no cooked meals.” Antaiz, who lost 10 family members in an airstrike, is now struggling to survive with her sick husband.
Ibtisam Saleh, 50, who has been displaced multiple times, now lives in a tent. She described her desperation: “We’re just getting by with aid. I fainted once while waiting in line for hours under the scorching sun.”
A UN official stated, “The resilience of this population has been completely destroyed. They have nothing left. They are at the extreme limit.” Thousands of people living in tents or ruined buildings are battling flies, diseases, garbage, and the suffocating smoke from burning plastic. Rising temperatures in recent weeks have further worsened the conditions.
Riham Kraiem, 35, is struggling to keep her husband and 10 children alive in the Gaza Strip. She shared, “We haven’t received any aid for three months. My children ask me for sweets, but I can’t give them any. Yesterday, when my son brought home a kilo of pasta and a can of tomatoes, he was overjoyed.”
