Understanding the famine in Gaza: UN responsibility and global response challenges

This prompted an official declaration of famine by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a first in the Middle East as measured by UN standards. The mortality rates, malnutrition, and food availability is the classification that validates more than 500,000 people are in the IPC Phase 5- Catastrophe. The situation is indicative of a catastrophic end of almost two years of constant armed military confrontations and a carefully imposed blockade.

The impacts are dramatic. According to reports by UN agencies, there is a high level of starvation and death due to the many diseases, especially those that attack the vulnerable groups. Severe acute malnutrition in children under five has also doubled compared to 2025 in January 2025. It is estimated that there will be more than 130,000 acutely malnourished children by the middle of 2026, of which over 40,000 are at imminent risk of dying. Maternal health is also at risk; 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women have no access to appropriate nutrition and health. These statistics are among the pointers to the seriousness of the crisis as humanitarian conditions continue to rapidly decline.

Humanitarian access severely constrained

The main reason for the famine is not insufficient interest in the international community to provide the aid, but its serious limitations and dangers inhibiting the distribution. The already reduced level of food infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed. Almost all bakeries, stores and agricultural systems are either destroyed or are dysfunctional because of Israeli airstrikes and the continuing security operations.

Only one out of every five households in Gaza recall the receipt of food aid in the last 30 days, and when the aid does come in, it tends to be insufficient in volume both in terms of its volumes and nutritive value. Displacement adds another problem to the equation. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and this has overwhelmed the existing shelters by humanitarian authorities. Community kitchens exist in a state of pressure with hundreds being fed on a low budget.

Security threats during aid delivery are also significant. Nearly 1,800 civilians have reportedly been killed while attempting to access food or water, highlighting the high-risk nature of survival in the region. Aid convoys face targeting, looting, or are simply blocked at entry points. Fuel shortages have crippled logistics. With nearly 98% of Gaza’s agricultural land damaged or inaccessible, local food production has collapsed entirely, removing even subsistence-level fallback options.

UN and international agencies’ role and challenges

The United Nations bodies, World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have urged a humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate means of delivery of aid. Access is still too limited although we have been appealing many times. The main logistical possibilities are not employed because of the absence of operative corridors and security areas.

Non-binding Security Council resolutions that call on protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access have been previously adopted by the Security Council. These measures are, however, not enforced and member states differ on how to enforce obedience. The demand of sanctions or legal measures in international law is increasingly repeated particularly by Arab states. In parallel, some Western governments are still even cautious, due to geopolitical balancing and Israeli security concerns.

The international humanitarian law provides that all sides to a conflict must enable access to relief. However, critics hold that the present crisis has revealed a lacuna in the enforcement regime, whereby a mere statement and resolution is hardly applicable without political pressure and operational assurances.

Legal and moral responsibility under international law

The famine in Gaza brings to the forefront debates around the obligations of occupying powers under international law. Israel has restricted access to ports, airspace and entry points as more people continue to suffer the effects of lack of access to basic necessities such as food, water, fuel and medical supplies among others. A number of UN reports have identified the famine as being wholly man made, involving preventable deaths and malnutrition caused by long-term siege conditions and military targeting of civilian infrastructure.

According to International law as per the Fourth Geneva Convention, occupying powers are bound by the provisions of meeting the basic needs of civilian populations. The destruction and blockade of critical infrastructure, when such practices are within the scope of an occupation, may qualify as offences against the international humanitarian law. Whereas Israel claims it is in the pursuit of the dismantling networks of militants, humanitarian members claim the proportionality and necessity of such operations need more attention considering the number of casualties inflicted on civilians.

Saudi Arabia, along with opportunely minor Arab countries groups have repeatedly urged the UN Security Council to abide by mandate through invoking provisions of the prohibitions of genocide and the obligation to protect civilians. Such calls are indicative of the rising sense of discontent with international systems that, although eager to speak out, have predictably done nothing to change realities on the ground.

Political dynamics and global response complexities

Political stupor in international forums has been one of the most tenacious obstacles to action. The UN Security Council is still polarized Veto powers, the politics of alliances, and calculations all hinder the development of consensus on effective action. Much work is done to issue binding resolutions to establish ceasefires, humanitarian corridors or inquiries regarding the blockade, but all this is brought to a halt time and again.

Also, the fragmented Palestinian governance hinders the local coordination. Absence of reliable local partners or access points, which are often accustomed to by aid agencies, is another issue in Gaza due to the influence that the Palestinian Authority enjoys in the region. This makes logistical chains in the delivery of life-saving assistance harder.

Humanitarian aid is also under threat of being politicized thereby threatening its impartiality. The donor governments make their aid depend on the political aspects, whereas some encourage direct support in the form of aid. The inconsistent attitudes prevent coherent actions around the world, causing disruptions to concerted efforts in an emergency event.

The more general geopolitical setting to the Israel-Palestine dispute throws any humanitarian action into fault lines of ideology. A lasting solution to the crisis in Gaza needs not only involve humanitarian interventions, but also, diplomacy pressure and political bargaining which seems to be out of reach.

Balancing urgency with diplomacy

As famine spreads, the response window narrows. UN agencies face immense challenges not only in delivery but in fundraising and coordination. The WFP reports a funding gap of over $480 million for its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Without additional financial support, operational capacity will shrink further, exacerbating suffering.

Securing safe humanitarian corridors and deconfliction mechanisms must become an international priority. These should be backed by Security Council guarantees and monitored in real time by neutral parties. Establishing demilitarized zones around aid centers and health facilities could offer immediate relief and facilitate civilian protection.

A recent statement by humanitarian analyst Alias Tibou on social media emphasized the critical role of inter-agency cooperation and neutrality:

“Effective famine response in Gaza demands unprecedented coordination among UN bodies, member states, and local actors with zero tolerance for politicizing aid.”

This underscores the essential requirement for an apolitical, needs-based response that transcends national interests.

Ultimately, the famine in Gaza is not only a humanitarian emergency but a test of the global order’s capacity to enforce international norms. It reveals the systemic vulnerabilities of the current aid architecture and highlights the urgent need for reforms that embed accountability, efficiency, and enforceability into humanitarian frameworks.

Whether the famine will provoke meaningful reform or remain a tragic case study in international inaction remains uncertain—but the lives at stake demand immediate and unrelenting engagement.