The Gaza Health Ministry has warned that malnutrition and starvation have reached “catastrophic” levels, while a United Nations projection indicates that about 67 percent of Gaza’s roughly two‑million residents are expected to face crisis‑level food insecurity or worse by the end of 2026.
Crisis‑level food insecurity, as defined by the UN World Food Programme, means that households are unable to acquire enough food to meet basic nutritional needs, putting them at risk of hunger‑related illnesses and death. The projection suggests that more than two‑thirds of Gaza’s population could be unable to secure adequate sustenance within the next three years.
The dire outlook follows years of blockade, intermittent armed conflict and severe restrictions on the entry of essential goods, including food and medical supplies. These constraints have limited agricultural production, disrupted supply chains and left many families dependent on humanitarian aid that often falls short of demand.
International agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the World Food Programme, have called for an urgent scaling‑up of assistance to prevent a full‑scale humanitarian catastrophe. The agencies stress that without a substantial increase in food deliveries and funding, the projected food insecurity could translate into widespread malnutrition, especially among children and the elderly.
Humanitarian officials say the projection underscores the need for sustained, coordinated relief efforts and for political steps that would allow the unimpeded flow of food and other essential supplies into Gaza, aiming to avert a worsening health crisis in the territory.
<small>Source: Al Jazeera — read the original story there.</small>