By Eman, MECA staff in Gaza
There are 5 phases of declaring a situation of catastrophe/famine according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and the Famine Review Committee (FRC), these phases are: minimal (phase 1), stressed (phase 2), crisis (phase 3), emergency (phase 4), catastrophe/famine (phase 5). Right now, in the occupied Gaza Strip, more than half a million Palestinians are already in Phase 5 or Famine — meaning they’re literally dying from hunger.
To Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, this “news” was not new. They’ve been living it for months on end. This just means that now more than ever we need to stop this famine or it’ll become irreversible.
For more than five months, the Israeli military and apartheid regime has been imposing a suffocating blockade and complete closure of crossings on the Gaza Strip, an extension to an already cruel blockade for over 18 years, preventing the entry of food and medicine and driving their Israeli-manufactured famine to unprecedented deadly levels.
The latest IPC report (22 August 2025) confirmed famine in Gaza Governorate and projected its expansion to other governorates, with the exception of the north as they were unable to conduct their own assessment there.
On nutrition, IPC projects that 132,000 children aged 6–59 months will suffer from acute malnutrition through June 2026, including 41,000 severe cases. In addition, 55,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 25,000 infants urgently require nutrition support.
In recent days, media outlets have highlighted the entry of some goods into the occupied Gaza Strip. Yet what has entered covers less than 10% of actual needs, and much of it is unsuitable for infants and children. Meat, fruits, and even milk remain absent in sufficient quantities or at affordable prices. Instead, some products that children crave, such as flavored milk or crunchy bread snacks, are sold at prices far beyond the reach of families. Worse still, some already expired, turning these long-awaited snacks into a new source of harm rather than relief.
This “limited entry” is merely another “show” by the Israeli government; they are not a real solution. It does not change the grim reality, nor does it halt the skyrocketing food prices that place survival out of reach for most families. Meanwhile, malnutrition cases continue to rise, because famine in Gaza was engineered over months and it will not end in a day or two.
Children who were born healthy are now deprived of their most basic right: safe and nutritious food. The absence of essential nutrients and vitamins is eroding both their physical health and mental development. This danger causes more than immediate weakness; it leaves a permanent mark on their ability to grow, to learn, to create, and to function productively in the future.
We at MECA, in collaboration with our local partner, are supporting 4 malnutrition clinics across Gaza, which we visit regularly. In recent months, we have witnessed hundreds of cases of children who were once healthy but are now suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) as a direct result of the famine.
One such case is that of Joud.
Before the famine, Joud was a chubby, healthy child. But over time, his mother began to notice his weight dropping alarmingly, accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. When she brought him to our clinic, and we did our assessment, it was confirmed that he was suffering from SAM.
Weak from exhaustion and poor nutrition, Hejar was forced to wean Joud earlier than she had planned.
Hejar explained: “It’s unbearably painful to watch my three children, especially Joud, while I can’t provide them with the food they need. I literally leave my share of food for them, but it is never enough.”
Another story from our clinics is Celine.
Celine is a 9-month-old baby who was born during the genocide, after her mother, Farah, went into labor early from sheer fear. Unlike her older sisters who were born at healthy weights (2.5 kg and 3.5 kg), Celine weighed less than 2 kg at birth.
At six months, she began eating normally and seemed to be growing well until her mother noticed a sudden, frightening loss of weight. When taken to our clinic, and after her assessment, it was confirmed that Celine was also suffering from SAM. Until now, she continues to struggle with malnutrition.
Farah told us the family’s living conditions are extremely difficult with no home or job to earn money. She shared how painful it is to deny her 3 and 4 year-old daughters when they ask for simple snacks that are available but unaffordable.
At the MECA supported clinics, Joud, Celine and hundreds of other children are receiving special food and supplements to treat their malnutrition. We provide food parcels of staples and fresh produce to the families whenever we can. But tens of thousands of children are severely malnourished and there is simply not enough food in Gaza for everyone.
Israeli deliberate starvation is a weapon of war and a crime against humanity, targeting Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. A nation already exhausted from the continuous bombing, forced displacement from one place to the other, extreme heat, and struggle to get water and food. What is happening in Gaza is an act of annihilation, stripping an entire generation of its right to life and dignity. The Israeli siege must be lifted, the genocide must be stopped, and aid should not be weaponized against people who have already endured too much!
