Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The United Nations has officially recognized the Gaza Strip as a zone of catastrophic famine for the first time. This announcement was made jointly by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the situation has reached Phase 5, the highest level, corresponding to a “catastrophic” level of food insecurity.

Currently, over 500,000 people in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, and by the end of September, this number could exceed 640,000.

More than 1.5 million residents of the region are in a state of food crisis or emergency, particularly in Gaza City and the northern areas of the territory.

There has been a sharp increase in malnutrition among children: in July alone, more than 12,000 minors suffered from acute malnutrition, nearly a quarter of them in severe form.

The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in serious danger has tripled. One in five children is born prematurely or with low birth weight.

The main causes of the catastrophic famine are ongoing hostilities, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, limited access to humanitarian aid, and the destruction of agricultural infrastructure. After 22 months of conflict, these factors have brought hunger to a life-threatening level across the territory.

UN representatives emphasized that an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian access are crucial to saving lives.

“Hunger must be stopped at all costs,” the statement said. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire following Israel’s operation to seize the city, noting that the ongoing conflict is worsening the humanitarian situation and causing civilian suffering.

In response to criticism, Israel rejected the UN report, calling it fabricated and aligned with Hamas’s interests. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that since the start of the conflict, over 100,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza, which in recent weeks has contributed to a decrease in food prices in local markets.

The situation in the Gaza Strip remains critical, and the international community faces an urgent need to take measures to prevent further human casualties. A ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access remain top priorities to stabilize the situation and protect civilians.