UN-Backed IPC Expected to Declare Famine in Gaza City

The United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is set to officially declare a famine in Gaza City, marking the first famine declaration in the Middle East by this global body. This declaration follows assessments showing that Gaza City meets the strict criteria for famine, including extreme food deprivation affecting over half a million people, acute malnutrition in children, and rising deaths due to starvation. The famine is projected to spread to surrounding governorates such as Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, with over one million people facing emergency levels of food insecurity. The situation has intensified amid Israel's military campaign to seize Gaza City, with Israeli officials denying that famine exists and accusing the UN of using altered criteria to bolster Hamas's narrative, while also highlighting Hamas's role in diverting aid. Meanwhile, Gaza’s health infrastructure is collapsing, with hospitals overwhelmed and daily deaths from malnutrition and lack of medicine rising sharply. The crisis is further exacerbated by ongoing violence targeting civilians seeking aid and the blockade restricting humanitarian supplies.