The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza has teetered on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments have “dramatically worsened” the situation, including “increasingly stringent blockades” by Israel.

Despite Gaza meeting famine criteria amid severe hunger and malnutrition, formal famine declaration remains withheld due to strict thresholds and timing.

Tuesday’s alert by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification follows an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths.