FAO and WFP early warning report reveals worsening hunger in 13 hotspots; five with immediate risk of starvation

Excerpt from the press release on food crisis in Palestine

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In Palestine, the likelihood of famine in the Gaza Strip is growing as large-scale military operations hinder the ability to deliver vital food and non-food humanitarian assistance. In addition to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, high food prices coupled with exhausted livelihoods and a commercial blockade will accelerate an economic collapse. The entire population in Gaza – 2.1 million people – is projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, with 470,000 projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) through September 2025.

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Excerpt from the report on food crisis in Palestine:

Palestine

Key drivers of food insecurity: conflict, economic collapse

In the Gaza Strip, the risk of Famine is becoming more likely following announcements in May 2025 regarding the expected scale of military operations and inadequate plans for delivering food and non-food items across the Strip, amid extreme humanitarian access constraints.

According to the latest IPC projections through September 2025, the risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) across the whole Gaza Strip is expected to persist as long as the conflict continues and humanitarian access remains restricted.

The resumption of military operations and the continued closure of borders are not only reversing the limited humanitarian gains achieved during the eight-week ceasefire – but are also escalating the crisis to unprecedented levels. Since 2 March 2025 and up to this report’s cutoff date of 4 June, no adequate humanitarian aid or commercial supplies had entered the Gaza Strip – the longest interruption since the start of the conflict. Humanitarian efforts remain severely constrained by ongoing hostilities, aid blockades, movement restrictions, mounting insecurity and critically depleted food stocks.

Over a year and a half into the conflict, approximately 80 percent of cropland in the Gaza Strip had been damaged and around 83 percent of agricultural wells rendered inoperative. The extensive losses in agricultural and fishing capacity are expected to further constrain food supply availability throughout 2025. Meanwhile, extensive damage to water and sanitation infrastructure is posing serious public health and environmental risks to nearby residential areas.

Staple food prices have increased drastically since the blockade of border crossings in early March 2025 and – combined with the collapse of livelihoods – are accelerating the erosion of household purchasing power and worsening food insecurity.

The situation in the West Bank is rapidly worsening. The economic growth is forecast at only 1.8 percent in 2025.263 Unemployment remained high at 35 percent, largely due to movement restrictions and significant job losses. The Palestinian Authority continues to face severe fiscal constraints, limiting public services and reducing salary payments. Although the West Bank has not experienced the same level of conflict escalation as the Gaza Strip, intensified military operations – particularly in refugee camps – and an increase in settler violence have triggered new displacement since January 2025. As of October 2024, the number of acutely food-insecure people had nearly doubled compared to pre-October 2023.

According to the IPC analysis released in May 2025, the entire population of the Gaza Strip (around 2.1 million people) were projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity between May and September 2025. This includes 470 000 people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) and over one million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Even if essential supplies are permitted to enter, the quantity, distribution mechanism and timing may be inadequate to prevent a rapid and uncontrollable collapse into famine. Concerns remain extremely high, as the key drivers of food insecurity continue to deteriorate. Households are increasingly resorting to extreme coping strategies, including collecting garbage to sell for food. Observations reveal that social order is breaking down.

Recommendations:

1. Emergency response: 

• The 2025 Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territories – which covers both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – calls for USD 1.3 billion for food security and livelihoods interventions. The nutrition sector component requires USD 203 million.
• Allow the entry of fuel and cooking gas to sustain humanitarian operations and keep essential services – such as mills and bakeries – functioning in the Gaza Strip. These efforts are also critical for rehabilitating the agriculture, livestock and fishing sectors to maintain local food production.
• Establish and maintain safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access across the entire Gaza Strip, to enable the delivery of food and agricultural assistance to the most food-insecure populations.
• Support the restoration of critical infrastructure to ensure access to safe drinking water and functional sanitation facilities.
• Facilitate the reopening and functioning of markets and bakeries to support the delivery of commercial goods and improve food access.
• Expand blanket supplementary feeding and infant and young child feeding programmes to prevent and treat acute malnutrition.
• Resume distributions of animal fodder, veterinary kits, vaccines and animal shelters, and provide live animals for herd restocking among livestock-keeping households.
• Provide essential agricultural inputs – including seeds, organic fertilizers, greenhouse materials, sheds, irrigation systems and water tanks – in the West Bank, and in the Gaza Strip as soon as aid resumes at a scale, to help farming households restore production and increase the availability of fresh and nutritious food. Other actions

2. Other Actions:

• Remove restrictions on commercial and humanitarian food imports to enable uninterrupted food supply across the Gaza Strip.
• Integrate agriculture-based assistance into broader humanitarian planning and food security assessments, to ensure coordinated and effective response.
• Scale up cash-based assistance to help households meet immediate needs and restore livelihoods in the West Bank, and in the Gaza Strip as soon as aid resumes at scale.