United Nations (UN) experts have shared their prediction that the famine in Gaza's Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis provinces, where Israel continues its attacks, will"further spread" by the end of September.

'IT WILL SPREAD EVEN MORE'

Rain Paulson, Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Office for Emergency and Resilience, cited the IPC report and stated that the famine is"expected to spread further" in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis regions by the end of September.

"During this period, approximately 641,000 people, one-third of the population of the Gaza Strip, are expected to face catastrophic conditions under Stage 5 of the IPC criteria, while the number in Stage 4 of the emergency is likely to rise to approximately 1.14 million people," Paulson said.

‘THE SITUATION WILL WORSE’

In the same period, Paulson said that the situation in northern Gaza, where approximately 120,000 people live, could be even worse, and assessed that this situation"signals the collapse of Palestinians' livelihoods."

"People's lives and futures have been lost in Gaza. Social safety nets have been severely disrupted, collapsing due to widespread malnutrition and untreatable diseases," Paulson said.

‘UNPRECEDENTED SERIOUSNESS’

Jean Martin Bauer, who attended the press conference on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP), underlined that the famine in Gaza was of"an unprecedented scale and urgency" and called for urgent action on this issue.

Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at WFP, emphasized that famine means"extreme food deprivation, widespread acute malnutrition and deaths from hunger."

In his speech, Bauer emphasized the importance of protecting data systems that will guide humanitarian intervention, noting that this was the first time a famine had been confirmed in the Middle East, marking a"historic moment."

MALNUTRITION INCREASED 6-FOLD

Meanwhile, UNICEF Deputy Director of Emergency Programs Samir El Hawari stated that acute malnutrition in children in Gaza has increased sixfold since January, with 13,000 children diagnosed in July.

Hawari highlighted the importance of a ceasefire and humanitarian access"to prevent further loss of life."

However, the Palestinian Government in Gaza denied Israel’s claims that there is “no famine” despite the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the 22-month war in the Gaza Strip.

In a written statement released by the Government Media Office, it was stated that this report, which coincides with statements by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and US President Donald Trump, reveals that"Gaza is facing a man-made disaster and systematic hunger."

2.4 MILLION PALESTINIANS ARE AT RISK OF STARVATION

The statement, which emphasized that the famine imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip is"systematic" and may constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law, noted that 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.2 million children, have effectively entered the"fifth stage," the most severe stage of starvation, due to Israel closing its border gates and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid.

The statement also stated that the majority of aid trucks arriving in Gaza were looted by"local gangs acting under the protection of the Israeli army" and that the aid did not reach those in need and was sold at high prices on the black market.

‘THEY CONFESSED THE CRISIS’

The statement, which stated that"the contradictions of the Israeli narrative reveal the truth," noted that the Tel Aviv government initially denied the famine, then acknowledged it through the military's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and that the aid sent by air via aid trucks effectively amounted to an"admission of the crisis."

The statement reminded that air aid is only used in life-saving emergencies, and emphasized that this is a clear indication of the existence of a catastrophic food crisis in Gaza.

‘THEY ALLOW 90 TRUCKS A DAY’

The statement emphasized that the UN Center for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that a total of 10,000 aid trucks, an average of 90 per day, had arrived since May, adding that this figure corresponds to only 15 percent of the minimum daily need of 600 trucks.

The statement called on the international community to"lift Israel's blockade of Gaza, allow at least 550-600 aid trucks to enter unhindered according to UN standards, protect aid convoys and their workers, and prevent looting and interventions."

‘Famine’ was declared

In the latest report published by the UN-backed monitoring organization IPC, as of August 15, 2025, the famine in Gaza City (level 5 of the IPC, known as the catastrophic level) was confirmed with reasonable evidence and officially declared a “famine” for the first time.

The IPC report had stated that"after 22 months of brutal conflict, more than half a million people in the Gaza Strip face catastrophic conditions characterized by hunger, poverty and death."

GAZA IS DYING OF ‘STARVATION’

The Gaza Strip, under Israeli attacks and a tight blockade restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, is experiencing a humanitarian disaster, with widespread hunger and shortages of water, medicine, medical supplies and hygiene materials.

Deaths from hunger, especially among children, are on the rise in the Gaza Strip. Local and international circles say Israel is using"hunger and thirst as weapons."

Having destroyed 88% of Gaza by also destroying civilian infrastructure, the Israeli army frequently targets Palestinians displaced by deportation orders in the areas where they are sheltering.

It is reported that the number of people displaced by Israeli attacks and deportation orders in Gaza, which has a population of approximately 2.3 million, has reached 2 million, and many people have been displaced multiple times.

Deprived of basic supplies, displaced Palestinians struggle to survive in makeshift tents or in overcrowded schools where hygiene supplies are scarce, sinks inadequate, and infectious diseases are rampant.

The Israeli army, on the other hand, is bombing the tents of the displaced and the civilian shelters they shelter in with daily attacks.