“Failure to act will have irreversible consequences," UN Deputy Relief Chief tells Security Council on Gaza famine

Briefing to the UN Security Council on the Occupied Palestinian Territory by Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

27 August 2025

As delivered

Mr. President, Members of the Council,

As I brief today, I am reminded of previous messages we have delivered to this Council over the past months, cautioning that famine – then a worst-case scenario – was becoming increasingly likely.

On 22 August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee confirmed that famine is now occurring in Gaza governorate and is projected to expand further to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.

Allow me to share some numbers:

Over half a million people currently face starvation, destitution and death. By the end of September, that number could exceed 640,000.

Approximately 1 million people are in Emergency IPC Phase 4. And over 390,000 are in Crisis IPC Phase 3. Virtually no one in Gaza is untouched by hunger.

At least 132,000 children under the age of 5 are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition between now and mid-2026. The number of those at risk of death among them has now tripled to over 43,000. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, that number is predicted to surge from 17,000 to 55,000.

My colleague from Save the Children will speak in greater depth on this. The suffering of children remains one of the most heartbreaking dimensions of this crisis.

Mr. President,

Behind these stark numbers are human lives – daughters, sons, mothers and fathers. Futures cut short and communities scarred.

The Famine Review Committee has been called five times to assess food security and nutrition in Gaza. We sounded the alarm after each of these assessments. We also reported to the Council twice under resolution 2417 (2018) on conflict and hunger – first, in February 2024 and again in June this year.

Let us be clear: This famine is not a product of drought or some form of natural disaster. It is a created catastrophe – the result of a conflict that has caused massive civilian death, injury, destruction and forced displacement. Last month, over 100 Palestinians, on average, were killed every day, according to estimates by Gaza’s Ministry of Health – nearly twice the average daily toll recorded in May. In the same period, some 800,000 people were newly displaced, pushed into overcrowded areas that lack shelter and other essentials.

This famine is also the result of 22 months of restricted and compromised delivery of essential humanitarian and commercial supplies; degraded health and nutrition systems; lack of adequate shelter, and broken water, sanitation, and hygiene networks which have accelerated the spread of disease and turned menstrual hygiene into a nightmare for women and girls.

The famine in Gaza is also the result of a destroyed food production system where 98 per cent of the cropland is damaged or otherwise inaccessible, and where livestock is decimated, as ASG Alakbarov has just shared.

Mr. President,

We have seen an uptick in aid entering Gaza over the past weeks, including in the number of trucks and fuel tankers. During this time, the UN and our partners have brought in at least 12,000 metric tons of wheat flour, supported 80 kitchens serving 400,000 meals daily, brought in therapeutic food for 30,000 malnourished children for one month, delivered truckloads of vital medical supplies including blood units, and ensured clean water reached over 1,000 locations, alongside hygiene kit distribution and network repairs.

Limited commercial traffic has also resumed in the past weeks. This has helped to bring down prices of key commodities, although they remain elevated and largely out of reach for much of the population.

And, after a long pause, supplies of animal fodder have resumed over the past several days.

These are important developments, but they will neither reverse famine nor stop it in its tracks.

To meet the needs of 2.1 million starving and hungry people, we need much, much more. We need to bring in, and deliver, greater volumes of life-saving assistance. We need the restrictions on essential items to be lifted. And we need a halt to the delays and denials that undermine our work every day.

I would like to thank Mr. Alakbarov for his leadership as Humanitarian Coordinator on the ground, in particular for his ongoing engagements to address the serious constraints we are facing.

Mr. President,

International humanitarian law is a vital safeguard against hunger in conflict.

It prohibits the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and forbids attacks on objects essential to civilian survival – such as food, water and agricultural infrastructure. It demands that the parties take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout their military operations.

It demands that humanitarian personnel and assets be protected at all times and that the provision of unimpeded humanitarian relief be facilitated.

There is still time to act.

Mr. President,

Before I close, we must not forget the deterioration in the West Bank, where war-like military operations, settler violence and discriminatory policies are deepening humanitarian needs and increasing civilian vulnerability. The recent approval of over 3,000 settler housing units under the E1 plan further threatens to fragment the West Bank, and places 18 Bedouin communities, representing over 3,500 people, at risk of forced displacement, compromising their access to critical services.

Mr. President and Members of the Council,

Failure to act now will have irreversible consequences.

This Council and all Member States must immediately work to ensure:

An immediate, sustained cessation of hostilities in Gaza to prevent further loss of life and to stop famine from expanding.

Second, the release of all hostages, immediately and unconditionally.

Third, the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, including that which is essential for survival and the functioning of food, health and water, sanitation and hygiene systems.

Fourth, safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access through all entry points and to all people in need across the Gaza Strip. This includes the delivery of immediate large-scale, multi-sector humanitarian assistance throughout the Strip, including items necessary for survival such as food and nutrition supplies, medicine, water and shelter, fuel and others.

Fifth, the restoration of commercial flows of essential goods at scale, market systems, essential services and local food production.

Ending this human-made crisis demands that we act as if it were our mother, our father, our child, our family trying to survive in Gaza today.

We must all do more, and quickly.

Thank you.