UN agencies welcomed news Friday that famine has been pushed back in the Gaza Strip, but warned that fragile gains could be quickly reversed without increased humanitarian support.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said hunger, malnutrition, disease and the destruction of agricultural infrastructure remain alarmingly high.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, no areas in Gaza are currently classified as facing famine following a ceasefire that was signed in October.
Between Oct. 16 and Nov. 30, around 1.6 million people, or 77% of the population analyzed, experienced high levels of acute food insecurity classified as IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, the analysis said. This included more than half a million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and over 100,000 people facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), the most severe classification.
While recent developments amid the fragile ceasefire, including a proposed peace plan and improved food inflows, have helped ease the most extreme conditions, the IPC warned that the outlook remains grave.
From Dec. 1 to April 15, 2026, around 1.6 million people are still expected to face "Crisis or worse" levels of food insecurity. This includes an estimated 571,000 people in Emergency conditions and about 1,900 people in catastrophe, reflecting a reduction in the most extreme outcomes but not a return to stability.
The nutrition situation has also shown some improvement compared to previous analyses, but it remains alarming. Nearly 101,000 children aged six to 59 months are expected to suffer acute malnutrition across Gaza through mid-October 2026, including more than 31,000 severe cases. During the same period, an estimated 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are also projected to experience acute malnutrition and require treatment.
While the ceasefire has improved deliveries of food and basic supplies, most families still struggle amid displacement, damaged infrastructure and limited access to health, water and sanitation services, said the UN agencies, leaving 79% of households unable to access adequate food or clean water.
"Gaza's children are no longer facing deadly famine, but they remain in grave danger. After more than two years of unrelenting conflict, children's bodies and developing brains carry deep, lasting scars," said UNICEF Director of Emergency Operations Lucia Elmi, urging sustained humanitarian access and lasting peace.
