Middle East · Catastrophic · since October 2023
Gaza, Palestine
Famine confirmed for the first time in the region's recorded history.
War between Israel and Hamas, with siege conditions on the strip
~2M
People in need
Nearly the whole population
~1.9M
Displaced inside Gaza
Often several times over
1.98M
In IPC Phase 3+
IPC snapshot, Aug 2025
Aug 2025
Famine declared
IPC Famine Review Committee
What is happening
Almost the entire population of roughly two million people needs assistance. Most families have been displaced repeatedly, moving between shrinking zones with whatever they can carry.
In August 2025 the IPC's Famine Review Committee confirmed famine (Phase 5) in Gaza Governorate — the first such classification in the Middle East.
What we don't think about
Displacement without a destination
There is no border to cross. Families move from a school to a tent to a stairwell, carrying documents in a plastic bag because paperwork is what proves a home once existed.
Wounds that need water
With water and sanitation systems collapsed, survivable injuries become infections. Clean water is a surgical supply here.
Children raising children
Thousands of children are now unaccompanied or separated. Older siblings queue for food, negotiate for shelter, and manage grief no adult prepared them for.