August 22nd, 2025 - Gaza City Declared in Famine as Millions Face Starvation Amid Blocked Aid

Gaza City and the surrounding areas are officially facing famine, according to a report released Friday by a global monitoring group. Nearly two years into the ongoing war, Israel has blocked most food and aid from entering the Gaza Strip, leaving millions struggling to survive. The declaration marks a dire turning point in a conflict that has steadily worsened living conditions across the enclave.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the group responsible for monitoring global hunger crises, said at least half a million people in Gaza Governorate were experiencing the most severe conditions it tracks: starvation, acute malnutrition, and death. The rest of Gaza’s population of around two million was also enduring extreme food insecurity, with many facing conditions likely to worsen in the coming weeks.

According to the IPC, two southern governorates—Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis—could be declared officially in famine by the end of September. Food insecurity levels across Gaza show a troubling pattern: a large portion of households in these regions are already in crisis or emergency stages, with a significant minority experiencing conditions consistent with famine.

The report highlights a combination of factors driving the crisis: intensifying conflict, strict Israeli restrictions on aid, collapsing health care, damaged water and sanitation systems, destroyed agriculture, and repeated displacement of residents. It emphasized that the famine is “entirely man-made” and could be reversed if immediate aid were allowed into the territory.

Israeli officials have denied the severity of the situation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the IPC report “an outright lie,” claiming that recent efforts to bring food into Gaza had improved conditions. However, aid organizations and the IPC counter that the measures are insufficient, and delays in aid distribution risk exponentially increasing preventable deaths.

The human toll is already evident. Hunger-related deaths have accelerated, and the proportion of acutely malnourished children has risen sharply over the past three months. Residents like 29-year-old Alaa Haddad report going entire days without food and facing violent struggles to access aid. For many, daily life has become a desperate battle against hunger.

Since its founding in 2004, the IPC has only confirmed famines in a few other crises worldwide. In Gaza, the official declaration has drawn global attention, with aid agencies emphasizing that supplies exist but cannot be safely delivered without a cease-fire. Experts warn that without immediate action, the consequences of famine will continue to escalate, threatening countless lives.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) - Apathy (noun, AP-uh-thee) - Apathy refers either to a lack of feeling or emotion, or to a lack of interest or concern.

Example: Though the girl’s expression communicated apathy, Gina knew her daughter was actually very pleased at having won the poetry prize.