Gaza on the Verge of Famine: WHO
22.05.2025
Gaza on the Verge of Famine: WHO
Context
The WHO has called Gaza’s hunger crisis one of the world’s worst. With 2.1 million people under blockade, access to food and aid is severely limited. Around 500,000 people face catastrophic levels of hunger, disease, and high death risk.
What is famine and when is it declared?
Famine represents the most extreme level of food insecurity, where people experience acute food scarcity, widespread undernourishment, and significantly increased mortality due to hunger.
The United Nations classifies a crisis as a famine when the following thresholds are met:
- A minimum of 20% of households suffer from extreme lack of food.
- Over 30% of children are diagnosed with acute malnutrition.
- Daily death rates exceed 2 per 10,000 people or 4 per 10,000 children due to hunger-related causes.
Famine goes beyond simple hunger. It signals a total collapse of the systems providing food, water, and essential survival resources.
Starvation occurs when the body is deprived of nutrients for an extended period, leading to physical deterioration and often death. While survival without food can extend up to three weeks, it varies by individual.
Starvation progresses in three phases:
- The initial stage may start even after a skipped meal.
- In the second phase, the body begins using fat reserves for energy.
The final and usually deadly phase begins when fat reserves are exhausted and the body begins breaking down muscle and bone tissue for energy.