Gaza on the Brink of Famine: WHO

Context

Gaza is facing what the World Health Organization (WHO) now calls one of the worst hunger crises in the world. With a population of 2.1 million under blockade, food and essential aid are nearly impossible to access. The situation is so severe that almost half a million people are in “catastrophic” conditions, where hunger, malnutrition, disease, and death are interlinked.

What is famine and when is it reached?

Famine is the worst level of hunger, where people face severe food shortages, widespread malnutrition, and high levels of death due to starvation.
According to the UN’s criteria, famine is declared when:
- At least 20 percent (one-fifth) of households face extreme food shortages
- More than 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition
- At least two out of every 10,000 people or four out of every 10,000 children die each day from starvation or hunger-related causes.
Famine is not just about hunger; it is the worst humanitarian emergency, indicating a complete collapse of access to food, water and the systems necessary for survival.
Starvation is when the human body is deprived of food for so long that it suffers and often dies. The body can last up to three weeks without food, but the length of time varies between individuals. Starvation occurs over three stages.
- The first begins as early as when a meal is skipped
- The second occurs with a prolonged period of fasting where the body uses stored fat for energy.
- The third, and often fatal, stage is when all stored fats have been depleted and the body turns to bone and muscle as sources of energy.