Food supplies in Gaza have improved since the October ceasefire, but more than 100,000 people remain in “catastrophic conditions,” according to a new assessment by UN‑backed food security experts.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative that monitors hunger, reported Thursday that humanitarian access has eased the risk of famine compared to earlier this year. In August, nearly half a million Gazans were assessed to be in famine conditions. That figure has now dropped, but experts warn the situation remains precarious.
The IPC said about 100,000 people are still in Phase 5, the most severe category of food insecurity, meaning they face extreme hunger and risk of starvation. Another half a million remain in Phase 4, classified as “emergency conditions,” with widespread malnutrition and severe shortages.
Aid agencies credit the improvement to increased deliveries of food and flour since the ceasefire. The World Food Programme reported reaching more than one million people in recent weeks, while facilities for pregnant women and children have resumed operations, reducing immediate famine risks.
Yet UN officials caution that progress could be reversed if humanitarian access is disrupted. “The situation is better than it was, but it is still dire,” said one senior UN food security analyst. “Without sustained aid, Gaza could slide back into famine quickly.”
Israel’s foreign ministry criticized the IPC findings, calling them “deliberately distorted” and arguing they do not reflect realities on the ground. Humanitarian groups, however, insist that restrictions on aid deliveries continue to keep conditions severe.
The report underscores the fragile balance in Gaza: famine has been averted for now, but hunger remains widespread. For the 100,000 people still in catastrophic conditions, survival depends on whether aid continues to reach them.
