A charity distribution point in Gaza City on July 25.
Photographer: Ahmad Salem/BloombergHow Gaza Descended Into a Hunger Crisis, Explained
The US and Israel tried to replace the UN’s aid delivery network. A famine ensued, according to a UN-backed monitor.
After months of warnings by aid groups of spreading starvation in the Gaza Strip, a United-Nations-backed monitor has declared a famine in one of the territory’s administrative districts and warned that it’s likely to spread to two others.
Food insecurity — long a problem in the impoverished territory — was significantly worsened by the outbreak of war in October 2023 between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US, the European Union and many other countries. The situation grew more precarious in March, when Israel suspended aid deliveries. They resumed in May under a new distribution system Israel established with the backing of the US that has been plagued by problems. Under pressure even from its close allies, Israel, starting in late July, facilitated the delivery of more food. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership (IPC), which regularly reports on food insecurity globally, and several humanitarian organizations say it isn’t enough — something Israel has repeatedly contested.