The United Nations’ food monitoring agency is set to officially declare a famine in Gaza for the first time, affecting Gaza City and surrounding areas, including three towns and several refugee camps, with a population of roughly 500,000.

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed system recognized internationally for assessing food insecurity and malnutrition, will make the declaration on Friday. Since its creation in 2004, the IPC has formally declared famine only four times, most recently in Sudan last year.

Although the UN had previously warned of an imminent risk of famine in parts of Gaza, officials refrained from an official declaration due to limited data. The forthcoming announcement will cover the “Gaza governorate,” encompassing Gaza City, nearby towns, and several refugee camps.

“After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip face catastrophic conditions, marked by hunger, misery, and death,” the UN report stated.

The declaration is expected to provoke strong reactions from Israel, which has consistently denied the existence of famine in Gaza and is reportedly planning to annex the territory, according to The Telegraph.

To officially declare a famine, the IPC requires three strict criteria: at least 20% of households must experience extreme food shortages; at least 30% of children must suffer acute malnutrition; and there must be two deaths per 10,000 people per day from “absolute starvation.”

Since the escalation of the conflict, Israeli military actions have reportedly killed nearly 62,122 Palestinians and injured 156,758, the majority being women and children.

The official famine declaration underscores the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and is likely to increase international scrutiny of the ongoing conflict and its impact on civilians.

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