Israel is to blame as the people of Gaza face a “catastrophic food insecurity and imminent famine”, the Tánaiste has said. 

A report published yesterday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that 1.1 million Gazans, more than half the territory’s population, have completely exhausted their food supplies.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the figure was the “highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the IPC system anywhere - anytime”.

Horrified by UN report that half of Gaza’s population face catastrophic food insecurity & imminent famine.

This is entirely man-made. Israel bears responsibility for restrictions on food, water & health supplies. These must be lifted immediately; a huge increase in aid is needed

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) March 19, 2024

Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said to describe Gaza as on the brink of famine is not something the IPC would do without good cause.

“Because famine is such an emotive phrase - not least, of course, here in Ireland because of our history - and the implications that it has, it can’t just be thrown around loosely,” he said.

“There has to be an independent agency recognising it as such which relies on data and metric to prove a definition.”

Palestinians walk past a building destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Gaza City, 3-1-24. Image:Associated Press / Alamy

At least 20% of the population must be suffering from ‘extreme food shortage’ for a region to meet the definition of famine.

“In addition to that, 30% of the children must be suffering from acute malnutrition and severe lack of food,” Mr Power said.

“Then, the death rate has either doubled or that four children in every 10,000 die every single day from malnutrition… from starvation and associated complications.”

Mr Power said UNICEF is continuing to try and deliver aid to Gazans but they are “scratching the surface” of what is needed.

“I was in Gaza just before this crisis happened,” he said.

“About 500 trucks a day were getting in - you could see them everywhere you went; trucks delivering humanitarian aid… through a number of crossings.

“Unfortunately, they’ve been restricted now and on average now, about 50 trucks are getting in a day.

“We got 36 trucks in in the last few weeks of February but we could be getting ten times that in.”

Israel says its actions are motivated by a desire of “eliminate Hamas”, following the group's murder of 1,200 people on October 7th.