UN declares famine in Gaza, first ever in Middle East

Rome: The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first time it has done so in the Middle East, with experts warning 500,00...

Rome: The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first time it has done so in the Middle East, with experts warning 500,000 people face "catastrophic" hunger.

Top UN officials put the blame squarely on Israel, accusing it of "systematic obstruction" of aid deliveries to the Palestinian territory.

The assessment of famine was made by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of monitors tasked by the UN to warn of impending crises.

It defines famine as occurring when 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food; 30 percent of children under five are acutely malnourished; and at least two in every 10,000 people die daily from outright starvation or from malnutrition and disease.

UN agencies have for months been warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has worsened as Israel steps up its offensive/