“Worst-case scenario of famine unfolding” in Gaza Strip, food security experts say – CBS News

Famine Conditions in Gaza: A Report on the Humanitarian Crisis and Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

An alert issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicates that a “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip.” After nearly two years of conflict, mounting evidence shows widespread starvation, malnutrition, and a rise in hunger-related deaths. This crisis represents a catastrophic failure to uphold fundamental human rights and a severe regression on key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Immediate, large-scale humanitarian intervention is required to prevent widespread death.

Key Findings from the IPC Alert

The IPC, the leading international authority on food crises, reports that the situation in Gaza has dramatically worsened due to increasingly stringent blockades and ongoing hostilities. The analysis concludes that:

• Famine thresholds for food consumption have been reached in most of the Gaza Strip.
• Famine thresholds for acute malnutrition have been reached in Gaza City.
• Widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving an increase in hunger-related deaths.
• Essential health and other critical services have collapsed.

Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The crisis in Gaza constitutes a profound setback for the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The failure to protect the civilian population has led to a complete breakdown in progress toward several core SDGs.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The situation is a direct and severe contravention of this goal. With one in three people going without food for days at a time and widespread starvation reported, the region is experiencing a state of extreme food insecurity that negates the core objective of SDG 2.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The collapse of health services, rampant acute malnutrition, and rising mortality from starvation and disease demonstrate a complete failure to ensure healthy lives. Reports indicate nearly 17% of children under five in Gaza City are acutely malnourished, and hospitals are seeing a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths among children, a tragic reversal of progress on SDG 3.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The ongoing hostilities and blockades are the primary drivers of the famine, highlighting the absence of peace and justice. The failure to ensure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access and protect civilians undermines the fundamental principles of SDG 16.
• SDG 1: No Poverty: The conflict and resulting famine have plunged the population of over 2 million into extreme poverty and destitution, erasing any potential development gains and creating conditions of absolute deprivation, in direct opposition to SDG 1.

Humanitarian Response and Obstacles

Despite international pressure leading to measures such as humanitarian pauses and airdrops, the United Nations and aid organizations on the ground report that these efforts are insufficient. The delivery of life-saving aid is severely hampered by several factors:

• Ongoing Israeli military restrictions.
• Incidents of looting and crowds overwhelming aid convoys out of desperation.
• The ineffectiveness of airdrops, which deliver significantly less aid than ground transport and pose safety risks.

Formal Famine Declaration Criteria

A formal declaration of famine requires confirmation that an area has met all three of the following thresholds. While a lack of access has prevented the collection of sufficient data for a formal declaration, experts state the visible symptoms are consistent with famine.

1. At least 20% of households face an extreme lack of food.
2. At least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting.
3. At least two adults or four children per 10,000 people are dying daily from starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.

Conclusion and Call to Action

The IPC analysis concludes that the crisis has reached an “alarming and deadly turning point.” Failure to act will result in widespread death across much of the Gaza Strip. In alignment with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, the only viable path to averting further catastrophe is through the following actions:

• An immediate cessation of hostilities.
• The allowance of an unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response.

These steps are critical to stopping further deaths, alleviating catastrophic human suffering, and beginning the long process of restoring progress toward achieving Zero Hunger, Good Health, and Peace for the people of Gaza.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The article’s central theme is the severe food crisis, starvation, and impending famine in Gaza.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The text explicitly links malnutrition to disease and death, particularly among children, and notes the collapse of health services.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The crisis is presented as a direct consequence of the ongoing war, blockades, and the breakdown of order, highlighting the absence of peace and security.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. The article directly addresses the failure to meet this target by describing a “worst-case scenario of famine,” “widespread starvation,” and stating that “One in three people in Gaza is going without food for days at a time.”
   • Target 2.2: End all forms of malnutrition. The article highlights severe malnutrition, especially in children, mentioning “images of emaciated children,” “acute malnutrition or wasting,” and a specific finding that “nearly 17 out of every 100 children under the age of 5 in Gaza City are acutely malnourished.”

2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.2: End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age. The article provides evidence of increased child mortality due to hunger, noting, “Hospitals report a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths in children under 5” and that one of the conditions for famine is when “at least… four children under 5 per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.”
   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity for early warning, risk reduction, and management of health risks. The article shows a breakdown in managing this health crisis, despite warnings. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an “alert” and had previously “warned that Gaza will likely fall into famine,” indicating a failure in risk reduction even after early warnings were issued. The statement that “Essential health and other services have collapsed” further supports this.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The entire crisis is framed by the “nearly 22 months of war.” The call to “end the hostilities” is a direct appeal to achieve this target, as violence is the root cause of the famine and related deaths.
   • Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions to prevent violence and combat crime. The article implies a breakdown of institutions and public order, describing how “desperate crowds continue to overwhelm and unload delivery trucks” and aid convoys are swarmed by “criminals and hungry crowds,” indicating a collapse in the systems needed to ensure safe aid distribution.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • Indicator for Target 2.1 (Prevalence of food insecurity): The article provides specific data points used to measure extreme food insecurity, which is a condition for declaring famine: “At least 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving.”
   • Indicator for Target 2.2 (Prevalence of malnutrition/wasting): The article explicitly mentions the indicator for acute malnutrition in children used in famine classification: “At least 30% of children six months to 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting.” It also provides a specific local measurement: “nearly 17 out of every 100 children under the age of 5 in Gaza City are acutely malnourished.”

2. For SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Indicator for Target 3.2 (Under-5 mortality rate): The article provides a specific mortality rate threshold used for famine classification, which serves as a direct indicator of preventable child deaths: “at least… four children under 5 per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.”

3. For SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Indicator for Target 16.1 (Conflict-related deaths): While not providing a total number, the article’s entire premise is that the “war” and “hostilities” are causing “widespread death,” both directly and indirectly through starvation. The number of hunger-related deaths is a direct indicator of the lethal consequences of the conflict.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cbsnews.com