Gaza’s food gains could unravel without sustained aid, UN warns

Food security and child nutrition have improved across the Gaza Strip largely due to a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and commercial traffic, but progress remains fragile and could quickly reverse without sustained access, funding and recovery support.

The warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN child rights agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), comes as people across the war-torn enclave still struggle to restore their livelihoods, local food systems and essential services.  

“There is progress on food security in Gaza, but it is fragile and can easily be reversed,” said Carl Skau, WFP Acting Executive Director.  

“The overall humanitarian situation remains brutal: families lack water, sanitation and medicine. We need sustained access, funding and stability so people of Gaza can begin recovery.” 

Crisis-level hunger 

Latest analysis by the UN-backed global food security monitor IPC reveals that 1.4 million people, 67 per cent of Gaza’s population, are experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above.  

Although this represents a decrease from 1.6 million people, or 77 per cent of the population, at the end of last year, some 212,000 people remain in emergency conditions, or IPC Phase 4.  

Many of them are living in areas near the Israeli-controlled “Yellow Line” where access to humanitarian aid and essential services remains especially difficult. 

Ceasefire and scale-up 

The improvements show how quickly conditions can change when humanitarian assistance and commercial activity are scaled up, the UN agencies said, noting that humanitarian operations have expanded significantly since the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.   

In May alone, food parcels reached around 1.5 million people, multipurpose cash assistance peaked at around 700,000 people, and nutrition support reached 60 per cent of children under five, with access to treatment for acute malnutrition also increasing. 

This marks a sharp contrast with September 2025, when around 500,000 people received some form of food assistance and nutrition coverage for under-fives was less than one per cent.  

The agencies said immediate improvements in food security were observed after the scale-up, and the IPC analysis confirms that the trend has continued. 

Insufficient food, access restrictions 

The agencies said immediate improvements in food security were observed after the scale-up, and the IPC analysis confirms that the trend has continued, yet the situation remains precarious.  

Food rations are still insufficient in terms of quantity, quality and dietary diversity, while commercial imports of fresh produce and proteins are inconsistent.  

Although access into Gaza has improved, only the Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem border crossing in the south remains open, limiting the flow of essential goods needed for recovery and most people thus remain dependent on aid. 

Malnutrition alert 

The agencies said malnutrition rates have also improved, largely due to the rapid expansion of nutrition prevention programmes and increased access to treatment for severe and moderate malnutrition.  

However, these gains depend heavily on sustained assistance and have occurred despite continued shortages of nutritious food, recurrent disease outbreaks, limited access to safe water and sanitation, and the near collapse of livelihoods. 

In the coming year some 74,000 children are expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition while roughly 25,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will also need nutrition support, they said.  

Moreover, four governorates – North Gaza, Gaza, Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis – are projected to face “alert” levels of malnutrition, IPC Phase 2.  Some areas near the “Yellow Line” remained inaccessible to analysts during the survey period, leaving insufficient data for classification. 

“Acute malnutrition has fallen, but many children are still going hungry, and some children may never fully recover from prolonged lack of proper nutrition,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.  

Local food production key 

The UN agencies said that although any significant recovery of livelihoods or wider economic activity has yet to begin, early signs indicate that local food production can resume where farmers and herders can access cropland, agricultural inputs, productive assets, veterinary support and other essential services, including energy for irrigation. 

In the livestock sector, sheep inventories have increased by 33 per cent in areas where support has been sustained.  

Communities are also restarting small-scale economic activity where conditions allow. However, these efforts cannot expand while restrictions remain on what enters Gaza and while large areas of land remain inaccessible. 

More than 70 per cent of cropland is not accessible, and only three per cent is currently usable.  

“Food security in Gaza cannot recover unless local food production starts again and farmers, herders, fishers and other producers can rebuild their livelihoods,” said FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu.  

“Producers need access to farmland and the sea, and to seeds, tools, livestock supplies and other agricultural inputs, as well as technical support.”