Gaza in the Grip of Famine: Save the Collapsing Bodies
Official Statement
Ramallah, In one of the darkest moments in modern human history, the Gaza Strip is enduring a systematic famine and collective deprivation of the most basic necessities of life. We, in the State of Palestine, are once again sounding the alarm in the face of a total collapse of life systems in Gaza, amid shameful international silence and an unjustifiable failure to lift the blockade, open the crossings, and ensure the urgent flow of humanitarian aid.
Gaza is dying. Famine is claiming the lives of its people. Millions live under siege and a starvation policy that has reached its peak. Today, all residents of Gaza are deprived of food, medicine, and water. There is no food and no hope for many.
In Gaza, at least 2.1 million people—more than 95% of the population—are suffering from severe food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above), while more than 470,000 people are living in full-scale famine (IPC Phase 5). These people are collapsing and dying from hunger, in the absence of immediate global intervention.
The Gaza Strip is now experiencing a full famine, according to the classification of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), with an unprecedented collapse in food security and public health indicators. According to data from UNICEF and OCHA, children are the main victims. 345,000 small children are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 17,000 children facing severe acute malnutrition and are at imminent risk of death. But the tragedy is not limited to children alone.
Women are at the heart of this humanitarian crime. 17,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are suffering from acute malnutrition that requires urgent intervention. 557,000 women remain in severe food insecurity. 76% of pregnant women are experiencing anemia, and more than 690,000 women are deprived of basic hygiene supplies.
The elderly in Gaza—who represent around 9% of the population—face an even greater existential threat. UN agency data shows that over 190,000 people over the age of 60 lack access to food, healthcare, and clean water. They are unable to reach any means of survival. Field reports indicate that thousands of elderly people have been left alone in destroyed homes, without food or medicine, suffering from chronic diseases, and slowly dying due to hunger, illness, and isolation. Tens of thousands of those above 80 years old are in need of special care that has not been made available to them.
People with disabilities are experiencing a three-dimensional catastrophe. Reports indicate that at least 30,000 persons with disabilities are living without any support services, food, medical care, or accessible shelters. The number of people with disabilities has risen to more than 70,000 following the war, including approximately 12,000 new cases caused by injuries. These include between 3,100 and 4,050 permanent amputations. The Ministry of Health estimates that around 22,500 people will not be able to return to normal life due to life-changing injuries—without any access to food, medicine, or psychological support.
At the center of this suffering are more than 39,000 children in Gaza who have lost one or both parents, including around 17,000 children who lost both. They are orphans with no food or social protection, carrying enormous psychological and material burdens.
Amid these catastrophic conditions, the Ministry of Social Development continues to play its role in field monitoring and providing possible support to the most vulnerable groups, despite the severe restrictions on movement and access. The Ministry’s data has become a key reference in describing the humanitarian reality and guiding interventions with international partners.
Beyond the humanitarian tragedy, the use of starvation as a method of war in Gaza constitutes a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This horrific reality cannot be treated as a temporary crisis.
In light of these facts, the State of Palestine renews its urgent appeal to the international community and to every living voice around the world to assume their moral. We demand an immediate and comprehensive end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the unconditional opening of all crossings to guarantee the entry of humanitarian, medical, and food aid, and urgent air, land, and sea support to save civilian lives—especially children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Keeping the crossings partially open means Gaza dies slowly. Closing them entirely means certain death. Gaza today is not only famine. It is the loss of humanity, the destruction of dignity, and the wasting of innocent lives for no reason.
Latest News
On the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, MoSD Affirms: Protecting Girls Begins with Education, Protection, & Family Empowerment
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that child marriage cannot be addressed in isolation from the broader social protection system, as it is linked to multiple factors, including poverty, school dropout, domestic violence, loss of parental care, displacement, and weakened protection networks. The Ministry explained that its role includes protecting children and girls at risk, providing case management, family interventions, psychosocial support, and referral services, and connecting families with assistance, essential services, and economic empowerment programmes. It also coordinates with relevant authorities when the safety of a child or girl is at risk. The Ministry places the best interests of the child and protection from exploitation and abuse at the heart of its child protection services. The Ministry stressed that preventing early marriage also requires protecting families from poverty and economic shocks, supporting girls' continued access to education, raising awareness of their rights, and strengthening families' ability to cope with pressures without resorting to practices that may expose girls to long-term physical, psychological, and social risks. The issue is particularly concerning in the Gaza Strip, where the Ministry warned that the loss of parental care, displacement, extreme poverty, and the declining capacity of extended families to provide care and protection increase children's vulnerability to various forms of exploitation, including early marriage. In this context, the Ministry continues to work with local and international organizations involved in child and women's protection to strengthen early intervention, referral pathways, alternative care, and psychosocial support, alongside assistance to the most vulnerable families to reduce the risk factors that may contribute to early marriage. The Ministry called for child marriage to be addressed as a child protection and human rights issue requiring coordinated action among families and social, educational, health, and legal institutions. It also called for increased investment in girls' education, protection, and empowerment to safeguard their right to grow, learn, and make decisions about their future freely and safely.
On World Children's Day, MoSD: Palestinian Children Face Harsh Realities of Loss, Displacement, Violence, & Deprivation
Ramallah – On the occasion of World Children's Day, observed annually on 20 November, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that Palestinian children are facing extremely harsh conditions amid the continuing consequences of the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip and escalating attacks, displacement, home demolitions, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These conditions have deprived children of their lives, families, shelter, education, care, and safety. According to available United Nations data, at least 21,700 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip, while approximately 45,000 have been injured, including more than 11,000 children who have sustained life-altering injuries. Meanwhile, thousands of families continue to experience repeated displacement and deprivation of essential services. In the West Bank, including Jerusalem, children continue to face attacks, forced displacement of families, and damage to schools, homes, and infrastructure. More than 1,700 children have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 as a result of settler violence, movement restrictions, and demolitions. The Ministry stressed that the consequences of war and occupation extend beyond immediate casualties to include bereavement, family separation, hunger, school dropout, child labour, violence, exploitation, acquired disabilities, and psychological and social distress. These risks require a comprehensive and long-term child protection response. The Ministry explained that child protection is a central pillar of its work, implemented through Child Protection Departments in its directorates. These departments receive reports, assess levels of risk, provide case management and family follow-up, facilitate referrals to specialized services, and intervene in cases of violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Their responsibilities also include protecting children engaged in labour or begging, children who have dropped out of school, and children in conflict with the law, in coordination with relevant government authorities and partner organizations. In the Gaza Strip, children's protection and care needs have intensified significantly, particularly among orphans, children deprived of parental care, separated and unaccompanied children, and those requiring psychosocial support. In cooperation with its partners, the Ministry is working to provide alternative care, social follow-up, sponsorship programmes, psychological support, and food, health, and in-kind assistance, while strengthening and restoring child protection services across the Gaza Strip. The Ministry emphasized that protecting children is inseparable from protecting their families. Accordingly, child protection services form part of a broader social protection system encompassing food, cash, and non-food assistance, health insurance, education, school bags and stationery, psychosocial support, services for persons with disabilities, and family economic empowerment. These interventions aim to reduce the risks associated with poverty, displacement, loss of income, and family instability. The Ministry of Social Development called on the international community, United Nations agencies, humanitarian organizations, and donors to provide sustainable support for the Palestinian child protection system. It urged continued funding for alternative care programmes, orphan sponsorship, psychosocial support, education, nutrition, and rehabilitation, alongside support for Palestinian national institutions capable of reaching children and families and ensuring sustained follow-up. The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that World Children's Day cannot be merely an occasion for celebration while Palestinian children are deprived of their most fundamental rights. It stressed that protecting children begins with safeguarding their right to life and extends to ensuring their rights to family care, shelter, food, education, healthcare, protection, and social support.
