UN agencies welcome news famine pushed back in Gaza strip but warn fragile gains could be reversed

Sunday, December 21, 2025 -UN agencies including the FAO, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization have reported that no areas of the Gaza Strip are currently classified as being in famine, marking a significant relief for a population long beset by severe food shortages following prolonged conflict and a recent ceasefire. 

This development reflects improved humanitarian and commercial access that has allowed more food and essential supplies into the territory. However, officials stress that this progress remains extremely fragile and could quickly unravel without sustained, large-scale support and uninterrupted aid flows.

Despite the easing of famine conditions, hunger and acute food insecurity remain widespread across Gaza. Assessments indicate that a large majority of the population continues to struggle, with approximately 1.6 million people still facing high levels of food insecurity. 

Children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers remain particularly vulnerable, with thousands at risk of acute malnutrition in the coming months if assistance is not expanded. Ongoing damage to infrastructure, limited access to clean water, healthcare, and sanitation, and the collapse of local food production continue to intensify the crisis.

UN agencies are urging the international community and all parties involved to ensure sustained, safe, and unhindered humanitarian and commercial access, lift restrictions on essential imports, and significantly increase funding for food, nutrition, health, water, and sanitation services. 

They warn that without decisive and continuous action, the fragile gains achieved could rapidly reverse, pushing parts of Gaza back toward famine and deepening an already severe humanitarian emergency.