IPC, a global initiative led by UN agencies, aid organizations and governments, is the main mechanism the international community uses to determine whether famine is occurring.
Households experiencing extreme food shortages, hunger and exhaustion of coping strategies are classified as IPC Level 5 (Disaster).
For famine to be officially declared in an area, there must be evidence that at least 20% of households are in Level 5, 30% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and there are 2 or 4 deaths per 10,000 inhabitants. 10,000 child deaths per day occur “due to the interaction of disease with complete starvation or malnutrition.”
Last March, the IPC classified 677,000 people, or 30% of the Gaza Strip's population of 2.2 million, as level 5., Out, including 165,000 people trapped in the northern Gaza Strip. It also predicted that famine would be “imminent” in the north by the end of May due to conflict and an almost complete lack of humanitarian access.
Israel rejected the analysis, OutQuestioning the IPC's transparency, methodology and information sources.
IPC assessment released Tuesday, Out It said more than 495,000 Gazans, including 60,000 in the north, still face severe hunger.
“Contrary to our assumptions for the forecast period (March to July 2024), there has been an increase in the amount of food and non-food goods allowed into the Northern Region,” it said.
“Additionally, the response in the nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health sectors has been expanded. In this context, currently available evidence does not indicate that famine is occurring.”
It explains that about 20% of northern households are at level 5 but do not pass the threshold for acute malnutrition and mortality.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier this month that local health authorities had reported 32 deaths due to malnutrition, including 28 children under five.
The IPC report warned that “the risk of famine across the Gaza Strip is high and persistent” and that improvements in April and May “should not lead to complacency.”
WFP said the 'slight improvements' seen in the IPC report showed the difference that greater accessibility could make, but stressed that the situation 'remains desperate'.
“To achieve a real turning point and prevent famine, adequate and sustained levels of humanitarian assistance must be provided,” he added.
Meanwhile, the representative of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) told reporters in Geneva that on average at least 10 children a day were losing one or both legs due to the war.
Philippe Lazzarini said the figures did not include children who lost hands or arms and that amputations were usually carried out under “very gruesome circumstances”, sometimes without anesthesia.
