In Gaza, Improvements in Food Security Remain Fragile
Increased aid has reduced the most severe levels of food insecurity, but 1.4 million people may still face crisis conditions or worse by the end of 2026.
Food security in Gaza has improved since the end of 2025 because of increased humanitarian assistance, cash transfers and some commercial flows. But the analysis published by the IPC on 23 July 2026 shows how reversible this progress remains.
1.4 million | people projected to face food crisis or worse between July and December 2026 67% | of Gaza's population affected 212,000 | people expected to be in the emergency phase 74,000 | children requiring treatment for acute malnutrition over twelve months
Phase 3 corresponds to crisis: families can no longer adequately meet food needs without exhausting their assets or adopting harmful coping strategies. Phase 4, known as emergency, indicates large food deficits, rising acute malnutrition and increased mortality. Classification combines household consumption, prices, income, malnutrition and coping capacity.
Aid works when it arrives
The contrast with September 2025 is clear. At that time, about 500,000 people received some form of food assistance and fewer than 1% of young children had access to nutrition services.
By May 2026, food parcels reached 1.5 million people, multipurpose cash assistance reached up to 700,000, and nutrition programmes covered 60% of children under five.
United Nations agencies nevertheless stress that rations remain insufficient in quantity, quality and diversity. Fresh food and protein sources enter irregularly, while shortages of drinking water and weakened health services continue to threaten nutritional gains.
An average improvement in indicators does not mean every child is out of danger.
Without local production, dependence continues
This is the most structural issue. More than 70% of arable land is inaccessible and only 3% is reportedly usable. Producers lack seeds, tools, irrigation equipment, animal feed and veterinary support. Access to the sea remains prohibited, preventing fishers from resuming work.
Some signs of recovery exist: where support has continued, sheep numbers have increased by 33%. Recovery is therefore possible when livestock keepers gain access to animals, care and inputs, but these results remain localised.
To stabilise the situation, the IPC, FAO, UNICEF and WFP are calling for safe and predictable humanitarian access, increased funding, restored water and health services, renewed commercial trade, and access for producers to land, the sea and agricultural inputs.