UN confirms famine in Gaza – a moral and legal turning point

The United Nations has officially confirmed what Palestinians and humanitarian workers have been warning for months: famine is now present in Gaza. The announcement, issued yesterday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – the global standard for famine analysis – marks the first time famine has been declared in the territory.

According to the IPC’s report, over half a million people in Gaza are experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger. This is the highest threshold – IPC Phase 5 – meaning people are already dying from starvation, and entire communities face imminent collapse. An additional 1.1 million people are in Emergency Phase 4, and nearly 400,000 are in Crisis Phase 3. In the coming weeks, the IPC expects famine conditions to spread from Gaza Governorate to Deir al Balah and Khan Yunis.

The report makes clear that this crisis is not caused by drought or natural disaster. This is a man-made famine – the product of ongoing siege, repeated bombardment of infrastructure, and a near-total blockade on aid. The destruction of bakeries, water stations, and hospitals, along with the restriction of fuel and medicine, has created a humanitarian vacuum. Even in areas where UN agencies attempted to deliver supplies, access was denied or delayed, leaving entire neighbourhoods cut off for weeks.

Crucially, the IPC’s confirmation meets all three technical conditions required to declare a famine: acute food shortages, critical levels of child malnutrition, and an elevated death rate directly linked to hunger. These are not projections – they are current realities for thousands of families.

The reaction to the report has been immediate. Palestinian officials and Arab governments have demanded urgent intervention, calling for a ceasefire and the full opening of humanitarian corridors. Human rights groups have reiterated that using starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited under international law, and may constitute a war crime.

Meanwhile, almost as expected, Israel has dismissed the findings, arguing that aid has been allowed into Gaza and that the crisis is the result of Hamas mismanagement – a claim contested by independent humanitarian agencies on the ground.

What makes this declaration different from previous warnings is its finality. It removes all ambiguity. The famine is not looming. It is here. This carries legal and moral implications. Under the Geneva Conventions, deliberately depriving civilians of food and essential supplies is a violation of international humanitarian law. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, it may constitute a prosecutable act.

Humanitarian responses must now be coupled with political demands. It is not enough to call for more aid; the conditions preventing aid from reaching Gaza must be dismantled. That includes lifting the siege, ending military operations that target infrastructure, and granting full and unconditional access to humanitarian organisations.

Appeals must now go beyond charity – they must call for justice and accountability.

This famine declaration must be a turning point. It is a moment for moral clarity – for governments, institutions, and individuals to decide whether they will act, or remain complicit. Britain, as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, has a legal obligation to intervene and prevent further atrocities.

If we fail to act now, we are no longer witnesses to suffering – we are participants in it.