96% of Gazans face extreme levels of hunger: Report

By Burak Bir and Beyza Binnur Donmez

LONDON/GENEVA (AA) - The latest food security assessment in Gaza has revealed that 96% of people face "extreme levels of hunger," while nearly half a million people are in catastrophic conditions.

In its latest figure, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report indicated that 96% of the population faces extreme levels of hunger in the Gaza Strip where more than 37,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the Oct. 7 attack.

The report revealed that about 2.13 million people across the Gaza Strip faced high levels of acute food insecurity classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (crisis or worse) between May 1 and June 15, including nearly 343,000 people who experienced catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5).

In its response to these figures, the World Food Program stated that it shows the critical importance of sustained access to all areas of Gaza.

"The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on Gaza paints a stark picture of ongoing hunger, finding that 96 percent of the population is facing acute food insecurity at crisis level or higher (IPC Category 3+), with almost half a million people in catastrophic conditions (IPC Category 5)," the UN agency said in a statement.