OCHA warns famine in Gaza may soon reach central and southern areas – Middle East Monitor

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that famine in Gaza is worsening rapidly and could soon spread to the centre and south of the territory.

Olga Cherevko, OCHA spokesperson, said on Tuesday that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report confirmed the existence of famine in Gaza Governorate (north) and forecast its expansion to Deir al-Balah (centre) and Khan Younis (south) by the end of September.

She explained that the report’s findings “were not surprising”, as the United Nations had been warning of this scenario for months, stressing that the situation could deteriorate further without urgent intervention.

“We are heading toward a far worse scenario if the situation on the ground doesn’t change,” she sounded the alarm.

Cherevko stressed that the only way to stop famine is by delivering sufficient humanitarian aid immediately to civilians, calling for the removal of barriers blocking its entry and the establishment of a safe, regular route for distribution.

She noted that “avoidable deaths have already occurred,” emphasising that “the current catastrophe is entirely man-made and could have been prevented with timely intervention—yet the necessary steps were never taken.”

She concluded by stressing: “The international community and relevant actors still fail to grasp the full scale of what could unfold if urgent action is not taken to address the crisis in Gaza.”

READ: UNRWA chief condemns Israel’s denial of Gaza famine as ‘shameful’

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}