UN Warns Gaza Hunger Will Rise to 1.4 Million

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report that while famine conditions in Gaza have ended, the region remains at crisis levels of food insecurity. Acute malnutrition declined following the October 2025 ceasefire and increased aid flows, reducing the number of people facing acute hunger to 1.2 million between April and June. However, officials describe these gains as fragile.

Projections indicate that 1.4 million people, or approximately 67% of the population, will face acute hunger by December 2026. The WFP identifies funding shortages and donor fatigue as primary threats, overtaking previous access constraints. To manage these shortfalls, the agency has already cut cash transfers by 25% and halved food rations for 220,000 households. Additional funding of $420 million is required to prevent deeper cuts by October.

UNICEF warned that prolonged malnutrition has already caused childhood stunting, which may lead to permanent developmental issues. Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) rejected the IPC findings as biased. Israeli officials assert they do not restrict food entry, noting that 1.8 million tons of food have entered the enclave since the ceasefire, and accused Hamas of looting aid supplies.