Amman, Jordan, August 22, 2025 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is appalled by the latest IPC alert, which confirms the unthinkable: famine is now a deadly reality in Gaza City, with all three thresholds—catastrophic hunger, acute malnutrition, and mass death—officially surpassed. This devastating milestone confirms what humanitarians have warned for months: famine is no longer a looming threat—it is a deadly reality with catastrophic hunger tightening its grip across the population.
Since May of this year, the Government of Israel has imposed a near total blockade on aid flows, denying the population of Gaza access to food, water and medical care. Now families are starving, children are wasting away from severe acute malnutrition, and people are dying. Immediate action is not just necessary - it is a moral imperative.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, said,
“The IPC’s confirmation that all famine thresholds have been surpassed in Gaza City is a damning indictment of the failure to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian law. The warning signs have been flashing red for months. The IRC and others have repeatedly called for urgent action. Today’s findings must be a wake-up call for the international community. Without immediate, unhindered humanitarian access and a ceasefire, more lives will be lost to starvation and disease. This is not a natural disaster, it is a man-made catastrophe, unfolding in full view of the world and entirely preventable.”
The IRC is urging for the opening of all border crossings and the facilitation of full, safe, and sustained humanitarian access across the Gaza Strip, including to the north. A lasting ceasefire is essential to enable aid agencies to deliver lifesaving assistance, enable the release of hostages and to protect civilians from further harm. The IRC remains committed to scaling up its emergency response in Gaza alongside local and international partners, but without decisive political action, humanitarian aid alone cannot stem the tide of this deepening catastrophe.