The latest evaluation from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population could be facing acute hunger by the end of the year as humanitarian aid flows decline amid funding gaps and uncertainty over access.
The IPC reported that acute malnutrition rates - especially among children - had fallen markedly after food deliveries and nutrition services were scaled up following the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Despite those improvements, the monitor cautioned that those gains are fragile and may be undone if assistance continues to shrink.
Between mid-April and the end of June, the IPC found that over 1.2 million people - about 59% of Gaza’s population - were experiencing acute hunger at crisis levels or worse. Of that group, approximately 212,000 people were classified in emergency conditions. The assessment projects that number will climb to more than 1.4 million people, or 67%, by December.
The IPC said food consumption is still insufficient for most households, and some families have resorted to begging and scavenging to meet basic needs. After nearly two years of war and the displacement of almost the entire population, the majority of Gazans remain dependent on aid supplies.
Programmes intended to protect vulnerable groups have been scaled back. The IPC noted that supplementary feeding programmes for pregnant and breastfeeding women reduced their caseloads by half, serving about 6,000 people between January and May of this year. The monitor warned further reductions in assistance were likely as a result of funding shortfalls and uncertain access for aid organisations.
Israeli authorities have disputed aspects of IPC assessments in recent months. Israel rejected the IPC’s August findings and has consistently denied that it pursued a policy of starvation in Gaza, while acknowledging there was a food shortage at that time. Officials have also said that sufficient aid was permitted into the enclave during the war.
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for overseeing aid flows into Gaza, described the IPC report as biased. It stated that significant quantities of food, water and medical supplies had entered Gaza since the ceasefire and accused Hamas of diverting and looting aid consignments. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Aid groups have separately warned that Gaza faces an unprecedented collapse of its water and sanitation systems, compounding risks to public health and nutrition. The IPC highlighted that the decline in assistance coincides with these infrastructure pressures, amplifying the potential for worsening humanitarian conditions.
The conflict that triggered the humanitarian crisis began when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent offensive has, by Gaza health authorities’ counts, killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
The IPC’s assessment underscores the precarious balance between recent nutritional improvements and the danger of renewed deterioration as aid diminishes and essential services fail. If funding and access do not stabilise, the monitor warns, the number of people facing acute hunger will rise substantially before year-end.