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The top US humanitarian official said Wednesday it is “credible” to assess that famine is already happening in parts of Gaza.
Although US officials have been sounding the alarm about the imminent risk of famine in the enclave, United States Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power is the first official to publicly agree with an assessment that famine is already taking place.
Power, speaking at a congressional hearing, was asked about an assessment from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and whether it “is plausible or likely that parts of Gaza, and particularly northern Gaza, are already experiencing famine.”
“The methodology that the IPC used is one that we had our experts scrub,” Power said. “It’s one that’s relied upon in other settings and that is their assessment and we believe that assessment is credible.”
“So there’s, famine is already occurring there?” the administrator was asked by Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro.
“That is – yes,” she replied.
Power noted that the rate of malnutrition in northern Gaza before October 7 “was almost zero. And it is now one in three … kids.”
Some background: An IPC analysis last month stated that all 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to eat, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine projected to arrive in the north “anytime between mid-March and May 2024.” It is unclear if this is the analysis cited in the hearing.
Why this matters: The assessment is likely to fuel further calls for the Biden administration to put restrictions on its military aid to Israel. Top officials, including the US president himself, have told Israeli officials they must do more immediately to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk changes in US policy.
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