Famine confirmed in Gaza for first time, says UN-backed report

Famine has been declared in a northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, which is used by governments and international aid agencies to identify hunger levels around the world. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Famine affects the administrative district of Gaza, which includes the city of Gaza, the analysis said. According to the monitor, the lives of 132,000 children under the age of five are especially at risk due to malnutrition. Of these, 41,000 are considered to be particularly serious cases, twice as many as in the previous assessment in May. According to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), this is the first time that a famine has been declared in a Middle Eastern region. "An immediate ceasefire and end to the conflict is critical to allow unimpeded, large-scale humanitarian response that can save lives," the UN agencies FAO/UNICEF/WHO/WFP said in a joint press release ...