However, almost the entire Gaza Strip remains under emergency status (PCI Phase 4), and hundreds of thousands of people continue to experience very high rates of acute malnutrition.
Between mid-October and late November, about 1.6 million people (about 77 percent of the population surveyed) faced hunger at crisis level (Phase 3) or worse. This includes more than 500,000 people in emergency (Phase 4) and more than 100,000 people in catastrophe (Phase 5), according to the report.
Profits are ‘dangerously fragile’
UN Secretary General António Guterres said The latest findings show progress, but warned that achievements remain “fragile and dangerously so.”
“Famine has been rejected. Many more people can access the food they need to survive,” he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
It added, however, that 1.6 million people in Gaza – more than 75 percent of the population – “are expected to face extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical risks of malnutrition.”
CPI analysis projects that through mid-April 2026, around 571,000 people will remain in emergency conditions, while approximately 1,900 people are expected to continue facing catastrophic-level hunger. In a worst-case scenario (including the resumption of hostilities or the cessation of humanitarian and trade flows), the entire Gaza Strip could once again face famine.
Malnutrition is the main concern
Malnutrition remains a major concern, especially among children and pregnant and lactating women.
Nearly 101,000 children aged six to 59 months are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by mid-October 2026, including more than 31,000 severe cases. An estimated 37,000 pregnant and lactating women will also need treatment.
While food aid has increased, the report highlights that assistance largely only covers basic survival needs. Health services, water and sanitation systems, housing and livelihoods remain severely damaged, leaving families vulnerable, especially during the winter.
Projected acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip.
‘Truly lasting’ ceasefire needed
“Families are enduring the unbearable,” Guterres said, describing children sleeping in flooded tents and buildings collapsing under heavy rain and wind.
He said humanitarian teams are preparing more than 1.5 million hot meals daily, reopening nutrition centers and restoring water and health services, but warned that needs continue to grow faster than aid delivery.
“We need a truly lasting ceasefire,“He said, calling for more crossings into Gaza, fewer restrictions on critical supplies, safe routes within the Strip, sustained funding and unhindered humanitarian access.
The IPC report highlights that without sustained and expanded access, continued aid and the rebuilding of essential infrastructure, Gaza’s food security situation could rapidly deteriorate again, with lasting consequences for an already traumatized population.