One in five people in Gaza facing starvation, U.N. says; secretary-general urges crossings opened

António Guterres, U.N. secretary-general, told member states that one in five people in Gaza is facing starvation and that the entire population is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

Guterres said an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot showed 470,000 people in Gaza are in IPC Phase 5 — the highest level — and that the report projects about 71,000 children and more than 17,000 mothers will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition.

The secretary-general described the situation as a “human-made catastrophe” and said the way to address it “should be clear”: open Gaza so aid and essential supplies can reach everyone who needs them wherever they are. He said the U.N. has prepositioned more than 16,000 metric tons of food assistance that can feed 1,000,000 people for up to four months if crossings are opened.

Why it matters: the U.N. warned that more than 70 days into a near-total ban on supplies entering Gaza, local stocks have run out, bakeries have closed, community kitchens are shutting and hospitals are running severely short of supplies, equipment, blood and fuel. The World Food Programme and UNICEF reported sharp declines in the number of hot meals being delivered across the Strip.

Details: the briefing said roughly 260,600 meals were prepared and delivered across Gaza on the latest reporting day, down from more than 840,000 a week earlier — a 70 percent reduction in about five days. The secretary-general emphasized that humanitarian assistance includes food, water, sanitation, health and nutrition services and said international humanitarian law must be fully respected so aid can flow.

Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, was quoted in the briefing as saying families are “starving while the food they need is sitting just across the border,” and urging urgent international action so aid can move before famine is confirmed.

The secretary-general also welcomed the recent release of an Israeli national held hostage in Gaza and reiterated calls for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all remaining hostages. He called on all parties to ensure rapid, unhindered and safe humanitarian relief for civilians in need.

Context and limits: figures and projections reported to the U.N. come from the IPC, a multi-agency snapshot. The briefing stressed that prepositioned stocks exist but that their use depends on crossings being opened; the U.N. said it will only operate in environments that allow impartiality, neutrality and humanity in humanitarian action.

Looking ahead: U.N. officials said further briefings to member states and the Security Council will continue as conditions on the ground evolve.