Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Please refer to the attached file. The IPC Global Initiative is issuing this Alert based on the latest evidence available until 25 July to draw urgent attention to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, following the IPC analysis published in May 2025, which detected a risk of Famine. According to IPC protocols, an Alert does not classify areas or provide population estimates and does not constitute a Famine classification. However, given the most recent information and data made available, a new IPC analysis is to be conducted without delay.• The worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels.• Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.• Immediate action must be taken to end the hostilities and allow for unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response. This is the only path to stopping further deaths and catastrophic human suffering.Amid relentless conflict, frequent displacements, extremely limited humanitarian access, and collapsing health care systems, the worst-case scenario is rapidly unfolding in Gaza.The latest IPC analysis published on 12 May 2025 projected that the entire population in the Gaza Strip will face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) by September 2025, including half a million people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), characterised by an extreme lack of food, starvation, destitution and death. Malnutrition was expected to reach Critical levels (IPC AMN Phase 4) in North Gaza, Gaza and Rafah governorates, with more than 70,000 cases of children under the age of five and 17,000 cases of pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) facing acute malnutrition across the territory. A risk of Famine was detected in all areas of the Gaza Strip.Since the last analysis, bombardments have intensified and ground operations expanded, with a devastating impact on civilians with nearly 6,700 people killed and critical infrastructure destroyed.2 Since mid-May, an additional 325,000 people have been displaced, and 88 percent of the territory is currently under evacuation orders or within militarised areas.3 People’s access to food across Gaza is now alarmingly erratic and extremely perilous.4 Since 27 May, over 1,000 people were killed while trying to access food in Gaza.Humanitarian aid remains extremely restricted due to requests for humanitarian access being repeatedly denied and frequent security incidents.6 Despite the easing of the blockade on 19 May, only a trickle of humanitarian assistance, mainly food, has entered the Gaza Strip. Bakeries remain closed, and community kitchens—though operational— are vastly inadequate to meet the scale of needs.Meanwhile, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) claims to have distributed over 89 million meals from four distribution sites, primarily in militarised zones along the Khan Younis–Rafah border—where less than a quarter of the population is located.8 However, most of the food items are not ready-to-eat and require water and fuel to cook, which are largely unavailable. Reaching these distribution points requires long, high-risk journeys, with unequal access across governorates. Operating on a first-come, first-served basis, the most vulnerable groups are largely unable to access this food.At the same time, food consumption has sharply deteriorated, with one in three individuals going without food for days at a time.10 Between May and July 2025, the proportion of households experiencing extreme hunger has doubled. The food consumption threshold for Famine (IPC AFI Phase 5) has already been passed for most areas of the Gaza Strip.Malnutrition has been rising rapidly in the first half of July and has reached the Famine threshold in Gaza City. Over 20,000 children have been admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July, with more than 3,000 severely malnourished.11 Hospitals have reported a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths of children under five years of age, with at least 16 reported deaths since 17 July.Immediate action must be taken to alleviate the catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza. This includes scaling up the flow of goods, restoring basic services, and ensuring safe, unimpeded access to sufficient life-saving assistance. None of this is possible unless there is a ceasefire.