IPC Alert Warns Famine Is Unfolding in Gaza

Following today’s release of a new IPC report on Gaza, Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna says:   

 “Today’s IPC alert confirms what we’ve been urgently warning for months: famine is unfolding in Gaza. The deaths mounting now from hunger, malnutrition, and disease underscore that we’ve already crossed from warning into tragedy. Children are dying of hunger, malnutrition is skyrocketing, and families have exhausted every possible means to survive. One of our team members in Gaza said: ‘The suffering here is deeper and the pain deeper than anything I can fully express in words.’ This suffering is a direct result of political barriers that are preventing food and other aid from reaching people in need.  

 “Airdrops and humanitarian pauses are insufficient, and they won't prevent mass starvation or help bring malnourished children back from the brink of death. None of these are adequate substitutes for a functioning humanitarian system. Humanitarian agencies like mine are doing everything we can – but we continue to be blocked from delivering aid at the scale that’s needed. The fastest and most effective way to save lives right now is to open every border crossing and allow humanitarian organizations to safely and significantly increase the delivery of life-saving assistance, not just food but malnutrition treatment, clean water, and other essentials for survival.”