WFP State of Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #53

14 May 2025

Highlights:

• Gaza is on the brink of famine. The latest IPC analysis (12 May) confirmed that from May to September nearly half a million people are
  facing catastrophic hunger, and the entire population is acutely food insecure. Malnutrition is surging, with over 70,000 children and
  18,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women requiring urgent treatment.
• WFP has fully depleted its food stocks and hot meal kitchens have largely shut down, leaving nearly the entire population without
  assistance. Only one WFP partner remains operational in Gaza for kitchen assistance, and nutrition treatments are nearly exhausted.
• Despite these conditions, WFP stands ready to resume large-scale distributions immediately. Over 130,000 mt of food—enough to feed
  one million people for up to four months—is positioned in the region, awaiting entry clearance.

Situation Update:

• The latest Gaza IPC analysis, released on 12 May, revealed a severe food security crisis, with the entire population experiencing acute food insecurity— nearly half a million people (22 percent) facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5), a 250 percent surge from the previous estimate. Over one million people (54 percent) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 24 percent are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). Acute malnutrition is projected to affect 70,000 children, including 14,000 with severe acute malnutrition, and 18,400 pregnant and breastfeeding women. For more information, please refer to the IPC special snapshot report.
• Over 1.9 million people in Gaza are forcibly displaced without safe corridors, facing exposure to protection risks including violence, family separation, and lack of shelter or services. Evacuation routes and “safe zones” have repeatedly come under attack.
• On 12 May, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a land registration initiative in Area C of the West Bank. Reports suggest the move could formalize Israeli settlement claims and further limit Palestinian land rights, raising concerns over potential dispossession.
• The UN Secretary-General, the Emergency Relief Coordinator and international NGOs have rejected raised serious concerns regarding the proposed Israeli plan, citing risks of violations of humanitarian principles, security risks, exclusion of northern Gaza, and concerns issues over beneficiary vetting and facial recognition.
• With law enforcement largely absent, civil unrest and looting is escalating across Gaza. Armed mobs targeted humanitarian sites during the reporting period, including attacks on cooperating partners’ premises. WFP also faced direct security threats—trucks carrying food were robbed at gunpoint.