A year after ceasefire, Gaza still faces severe hunger crisis

A year after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the food crisis in Gaza remains severe.

According to Shaun Hughes of the UN World Food Programme, Gaza's food security situation remains extremely fragile. According to July data, nearly 1.4 million of Gaza's roughly 2.1 million people face acute food insecurity. Of them, about 200,000 people are just one level above famine.

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system had declared famine in Gaza in August 2025. Israel rejected that finding, and the declaration was withdrawn in December after supplies increased. COGAT, the unit under Israel's defense ministry, said Gaza's humanitarian situation remains stable.

Even though food aid is entering, there remains a persistent shortage of fruit, fresh vegetables and protein-rich food. According to a study released Thursday by the French aid group Medecins du Monde, only about 17 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women are getting an adequately diverse diet.

Niaha al-Masri, 35, who lives in a UNICEF tent, spends hours every day standing in line at a community kitchen for her family of 10, which includes eight children. The food from that aid-run kitchen is the only meal her family gets all day. Her children, aged three to 14, want to eat fruit, but the family cannot afford to buy it.