UNITED NATIONS, Dec 23 (IPS) – Despite notable improvements in humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip following the October 10 ceasefire, progress remains extremely fragile. Now that the enclave has averted famine in multiple regions, the United Nations (UN) and its partners are warning that sustainable humanitarian access, a steady flow of resources and the rehabilitation of critical civilian infrastructure are essential to prevent further deterioration, which could have long-lasting consequences for an already deeply traumatized population.
According to the latest figures of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) food security in Gaza improved significantly during the October-November period, with famine eradicated in all areas. This marks a major shift from August, when famine was recorded and confirmed. This is largely attributed to the expansion of humanitarian access since then.
“Famine has been reduced. Many more people have access to the food they need to survive,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The profits are fragile, even dangerous. And in more than half of Gaza, where Israeli forces are still deployed, farmlands and entire neighborhoods are out of reach. Strikes and hostilities continue, increasing the civilian toll of this war and exposing our teams to grave danger. We need more border crossings, the lifting of restrictions on critical items, the removal of red tape, safe routes within Gaza, sustainable financing and unhindered access, including for non-profits (NGOs).”
Figures from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) show that after the ceasefire, barriers to aid deliveries decreased to about 20 percent – from 30 to 35 percent before the ceasefire. Between October 10 and December 16, more than 119,000 tons of UN-coordinated aid were unloaded, of which more than 111,000 tons were successfully collected.
Despite this, severe famine and malnutrition persist, especially among displaced communities. The vast majority of the enclave’s population faces hunger levels (IPC Phase 4), while hundreds of thousands of people face acute malnutrition. Between October and November, approximately 1.6 million people, or more than 75 percent of the surveyed population, faced hunger crisis levels (Phase 3) or worse, including 500,000 people in emergency levels (Phase 4) and more than 100,000 people in catastrophic levels (Phase 5).
Women and children – especially those from displaced communities – are expected to bear the heaviest burdens. An estimated 101,000 children aged six to 59 months are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by October next year, with 31,000 expected to be life-threatening. In addition, approximately 37,000 pregnant and lactating women are expected to require urgent treatment.
In one joint statementThe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Program (WFP) warn that without sustained humanitarian support, increased financial assistance and a definitive end to hostilities, hundreds of thousands of Gazans could quickly return to famine.
OCHA noted that approximately 1.6 million Gazans are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity until mid-April 2026, with the agency hampering aid deliveries due to continued airstrikes, procedural restrictions and the lingering impact of Storm Byron, which caused significant flooding. In December, the agency registered reduced WFP food rations in an effort to maximize coverage. Other sectors of the humanitarian response have been deprioritized to meet the most urgent food security needs.
The IPC’s latest report identifies the collapse of agricultural and food systems as a major cause of food insecurity in Gaza, noting that more than 96 percent of the enclave’s arable land has been decimated or rendered inaccessible. With livelihoods destroyed and local production under severe pressure, families are increasingly unable to afford nutritious and diverse food.
About 70 percent of households cannot afford to buy food or secure clean water. Protein has become extremely scarce and no child meets adequate standards for dietary diversity; two-thirds consume only one to two food groups.
“Gaza’s farmers, herders and fishermen are ready to restart food production, but they cannot do so without immediate access to basic services and financing,” said Rein Paulsen, director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience. “The ceasefire has opened a narrow window through which life-sustaining agricultural supplies can end up in the hands of vulnerable farmers. Only financing and expanded and sustainable access will allow local food production to resume and dependence on external aid to be reduced.”
The latest figures from OCHA indicate that at least 2,407 children received treatment for acute malnutrition in the first two weeks of December. In addition, as of December 16, more than 172,000 tons of aid, positioned by 56 humanitarian partners, are ready for transfer to Gaza, with food supplies accounting for 72 percent of the total.
Even with these ongoing needs, some humanitarian supplies from the UN and its partners are still routinely denied by Israeli authorities. Between December 10 and 16, humanitarian organizations coordinated 47 missions with Israeli authorities, of which 30 were carried out, 10 were obstructed, four were refused and three were cancelled.
According to Kate Newton, WFP deputy country director in Palestine, missions that require prior coordination with Israeli authorities – including winter preparation efforts, assessment and clearance missions, and cargo increases – are particularly uncertain. “We still have all the problems that we have been talking about for months and months – the logistical challenges, the fact that we are very limited in terms of the number of roads we can use, that we still have very high levels of insecurity, that bureaucratic processes still hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid,” Newton said.
On December 17, a coalition of UN agencies and more than 200 international and local NGOs called for urgent action to pressure Israeli authorities to remove all barriers to humanitarian assistance, warning that current restrictions are seriously undermining aid delivery and threatening the collapse of an effective humanitarian response. The joint statement underlines that humanitarian action is now more important than ever and emphasizes that Gaza cannot afford to return to pre-ceasefire conditions.
“UN agencies and NGOs reiterate that humanitarian access is not optional, conditional or political. It is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, especially in Gaza, where Israel has failed to ensure the population is adequately supplied,” the statement read. “Israeli authorities must enable and facilitate the rapid, unhindered passage of humanitarian aid. They must immediately reverse policies that hinder humanitarian operations and ensure that humanitarian organizations can operate without compromising humanitarian principles. Life-saving aid must reach Palestinians without further delay.”
IPS UN Office
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