UN Report: 1.6 Million People in Gaza Face Acute Food Insecurity Until 2026

A UN report revealed on Friday that at least 1.6 million people in the Gaza Strip are facing a high level of acute food insecurity until mid-April 2026.

This comes according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report prepared by UN agencies, which includes projections of the situation in Gaza during the period from December 1, 2025, to April 15, 2026.

The report stated, "According to the latest analysis of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification following the announcement of the ceasefire on October 10, 2025, significant improvements in food security and nutrition were observed compared to the previous analysis, which indicated famine in August 2025."

It added, "Despite recent improvements, at least 1.6 million people will continue to face a high level of acute food insecurity until mid-April 2026."

The report predicts recording about 101,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months in Gaza between October 2025 and October 2026, of which 31,000 cases are expected to be severe.

It indicated that about 37,000 pregnant and lactating women will need urgent nutritional support.

The report emphasized that the situation in Gaza is extremely fragile, and any improvements recorded so far depend on the sustainable, expanded, and uninterrupted access of humanitarian and commercial aid.

It warned that in the worst-case scenarios, including the resumption of conflict and the cessation of humanitarian aid, the entire Gaza Strip could face the risk of famine by mid-April 2026.

It is worth noting that the population of Gaza has declined to 2,114,301 people, according to a report prepared by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on the occasion of World Population Day in July.

Before the start of the genocide war launched by Israel on Gaza, the population of the Strip was about 2,226,544 people, according to Palestinian statistics.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Strip are suffering from harsh living conditions after the destruction of their homes and forced displacement, amid a severe shortage of blankets and heating means, and a widespread deterioration in humanitarian conditions with the onset of winter.

This suffering comes amid Israel's failure to fulfill its commitments stipulated in the ceasefire of October 10 and its humanitarian protocol, including the entry of shelter materials and 300,000 tents and mobile homes, as confirmed repeatedly by the Gaza Government Media Office.

The genocide that began on October 8, 2023, supported by Washington and lasted two years, has left more than 70,000 Palestinian dead and 171,000 injured, mostly children and women, and immense destruction with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at about $70 billion.