Over 500,000 people face famine-like conditions, with access to fresh food nearly impossible. Reviving commercial imports is critical to restore dietary diversity and prevent mass starvation.

Gaza is now in an acute state of food crisis, with UN agencies warning that two of the three internationally recognized famine thresholds have been breached. According to the latest IPC Alert released jointly by FAO, WFP and UNICEF, more than one-third of Gazans are going days without eating, and acute malnutrition has skyrocketed, particularly among children under five.

“Gaza is now on the brink of a full-scale famine. People are starving not because food is unavailable, but because access is blocked, local agrifood systems have collapsed, and families can no longer sustain even the most basic livelihoods,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

UNICEF reports that more than 320,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition, with thousands already suffering from its most severe form. Health services have crumbled, and less than 15% of essential nutrition treatment facilities remain functional.

Beyond humanitarian aid, agencies emphasize the need to revive commercial food imports to provide dietary diversity—such as fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins—and restart local food systems, including bakeries and agriculture. Without this, they warn, “mothers and fathers will continue to face a parent’s worst nightmare.”