At least 19 people have died from starvation over the past 24 hours in besieged Gaza, according to the local health ministry, highlighting the escalating humanitarian catastrophe as relentless Israeli bombardment and deprivation converge to push civilians beyond the brink.
The hunger crisis has reached a dangerous level, with rising deaths from malnutrition and hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation under Israel's tight blockade, which halted aid entry.
Despite growing signs of famine and repeated warnings, the United Nations has yet to declare it officially, especially as Israel has effectively blocked its UN operations and those of affiliated agencies in the territory.
‘Desperate messages of starvation’
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has raised the alarm over severe food shortages, reporting that it is receiving “desperate messages of starvation” from civilians and even from its own staff on the ground.
“We are receiving desperate messages of starvation from #Gaza, including from our colleagues,” the agency said on X.
“Food prices have increased 40 fold,” the agency stressed.
It circulated a receipt showing that 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of sugar now costs $100, with flour, rice, and lentils ranging between $23 and $30 per kilogram -- totaling $183 for just four basic items.
Food stockpiled ‘just outside Gaza’
Despite this escalating crisis, the agency confirmed that “just outside Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses, UNRWA has enough food for the entire population for over three months.”
“The suffering in Gaza is manmade and must be stopped,” the agency noted, calling for the immediate lifting of the siege and the safe and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid.
According to the Government Information Centre in Gaza, 650,000 children (out of the 2.4 million living in Gaza) are at risk of death due to malnutrition and starvation, while about 60,000 pregnant women are at real risk due to lack of food and necessary health care.
‘Silent massacre’ unfolding
The Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave described the crisis as a “silent massacre” unfolding in the blockaded territory and held both Israel and the international community responsible for the worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
The ministry called for the immediate reopening of Gaza’s border crossings to allow the entry of food and medicine.
Israel has sealed all crossings with Gaza since March 2, effectively cutting off access to humanitarian aid and accelerating the spread of famine.
Failing Gaza's children
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell also echoed the dire situation in Gaza, and stressed that "children are not political actors. They do not start conflicts, and they are powerless to stop them, but they suffer greatly, and they wonder why the world has failed them."
Noting that children in Gaza are "enduring catastrophic living conditions," she said over 6,000 children were found to be acutely malnourished in June, a 180% rise from February, and warned that thousands with injuries or medical conditions are at risk of dying due to lack of care.
Urging a return to "safe and sustained humanitarian access" through all available crossings, Russell said: "Simple truth is that we are failing Gaza's children. Seen through their eyes, our failure is a betrayal of their right to be children, children who are healthy, who are safe, who are educated."
Bypassing the UN
Nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid at sites mostly associated with the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organisation backed by Israel, according to UN figures.
The group started operating in Gaza in late May, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs, but has been criticised by Palestinians and international groups for the high numbers of casualties linked to its operations.
UN official Olga Cherevko describes the situation as one where Palestinians who have “no choice but to risk their lives to basically survive … are instead getting a bullet to their head.”
“Our hospitals are receiving mass casualties, and they are already overwhelmed … and running extremely low on supplies, because a very small trickle of aid is only being allowed in currently,” Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency last month.
Declaring famine in Gaza
Despite numerous warnings about the possibility of famine in Gaza, the UN and its agencies have not so far declared a famine mainly because they have been excluded by Israel, or they may consider that the conditions for such a declaration have not been met.
The delay by international organisations in declaring a famine in Gaza would encourage Israel to continue to deny the existence of a humanitarian crisis, thereby exposing it to less pressure, resulting in further delays in the entry of urgent relief aid.
What it takes to declare famine
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), used by the UN and partner agencies like FAO and WFP, a famine is officially declared when at least 20 percent of households in an area face extreme food shortages with limited ability to cope, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) exceeds 30 percent (3 in 10 children are acutely malnourished) and the death rate exceeds 2 people per 10,000 per day, or 4 children per 10,000 per day.
The UN cannot declare a famine alone; it relies on joint assessments by humanitarian agencies and governments which have extremely limited access due to Israeli blockade high risk on the ground in Gaza.
Even when conditions meet famine thresholds, political constraints may delay or block declaration.
Although the UNSC has seen several ceasefire or aid-related resolutions backed by a majority, permanent members, notably the United States, have repeatedly wielded their veto.
UN gridlocked
The US vetoed a resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in June 2025
The vetoed resolution called the situation in Gaza “catastrophic”, and demanded the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN and humanitarian partners”.
It was the fifth time that the US has vetoed a Security Council draft ceasefire resolution to protect Israel.
Washington vetoed a similar resolution in November, under the Biden administration, on the grounds that the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages in besieged Gaza.
