Over 640,000 Gazans facing acute hunger crisis, WFP report warns

ISLAMABAD: More than 641,000 people in Gaza are expected to face catastrophic food insecurity in 2025, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

As per the report published recently, the increase in hunger is due to ongoing Israeli blockade, economic instability, and climate shocks. This has pushed the region to one of the highest levels of food insecurity globally.

Across 68 countries where WFP operates, 318 million people are projected to experience acute food insecurity in 2025, down from 343 million in 2024. However, this decrease reflects gaps in data from several countries, rather than a real reduction in hunger levels.

In total, 41.1 million people in 51 countries are expected to face emergency or worse levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, including 38.7 million people in emergency conditions based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC/CH) data, and 2.4 million people in severe conditions according to the CARI system. The report warned that these populations needed immediate assistance to prevent widespread malnutrition and death.

Among those facing the most extreme hunger, Gaza is one of the hardest-hit areas. Along with Sudan (375,000 people), South Sudan (83,000), Yemen (41,000), Haiti (8,400 until June 2025), and Mali (2,600), Gaza remains in the grip of a catastrophic food security crisis.

In 2024, 343 million people in 74 countries were acutely food insecure, a sharp increase of 196 million since early 2020. The Global Report on Food Crises estimated that 295.3 million people were in food crisis or worse in 53 countries last year.