Famine Ends in Gaza, Emergency Phase Continues

A global hunger monitor declared on Friday that famine conditions in Gaza have ended, thanks to improved access for humanitarian and commercial food supplies following a fragile ceasefire in October, though the territory's food security remains in a critical emergency phase.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, a United Nations-backed initiative, reported that no areas of the Gaza Strip now meet the technical criteria for famine, which requires at least 20 percent of the population to face extreme food shortages, one in three children to be acutely malnourished, and elevated daily death rates from starvation or disease-related causes. This marks a significant shift from the IPC's August assessment, which identified famine affecting about 514,000 people, or nearly a quarter of Gaza's population. The improvement stems from reduced hostilities after the U.S.-sponsored ceasefire took effect on October 10, halting two years of intense fighting that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The truce has allowed more aid trucks to enter the coastal enclave, which Israel controls at all access points.

Despite the progress, the IPC classified the...