In the wake of conflicting reports, it has become clear that famine has likely commenced in Gaza. This reality persists despite ongoing debates and clarifications. Famine, however, is not merely an isolated event but a gradual process that culminates in mass mortality.
The arbitrary threshold for declaring famine can lead to misunderstandings about the severity of the situation. The IPC’s five-part scale, which defines famine as Phase 5, has a high bar for declaration. This has resulted in only two official famines being recognized in the past two decades. However, extreme suffering and mortality can occur even below Phase 5.
Furthermore, famine is not a static moment but a process that unfolds over time. Mass mortality is not the onset of famine but its tragic conclusion. In Gaza, evidence of this process has been evident for months: rising food prices, malnutrition, reliance on unsafe food sources, increased diarrhea, and heightened risk of epidemics. These are not just immediate symptoms but early warning signs of mass starvation.
In addition, declarations of famine are often contested by authorities. This is not merely a semantic game but a way to avoid accountability for decisions and policies that contribute to starvation. By denying or downplaying famine, those in power can maintain impunity.
In Gaza, the famine process has been underway for some time. Even with an immediate cease-fire and unimpeded humanitarian action, reversing this process would be a monumental challenge. Mass mortality could be mitigated with a massive influx of food, but this would require a flood, not a trickle, of aid.
The ongoing debate about whether the situation in Gaza meets the technical definition of famine misses the point from a humanitarian perspective. Famine exists in any ethically relevant sense of the word and has already taken lives. How many more it claims depends on the actions taken now, not on when the death rate reaches a specific threshold.
