GAZA — UN-backed food security experts say nutrition and food availability in Gaza have improved since the ceasefire, but more than 100,000 people were still experiencing “catastrophic conditions” last month, underscoring the fragility of the situation.

According to the latest analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), around half a million people in Gaza were facing emergency levels of food insecurity, while over 100,000 remained in IPC Phase 5, the most severe classification, which denotes “catastrophe” at the household level.

In August, the IPC had warned that about 500,000 people — roughly a quarter of Gaza’s population — were living in areas suffering from famine.

The new report notes that since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October, the UN and humanitarian agencies have been able to increase food deliveries into Gaza, contributing to an overall improvement in conditions.

The IPC said no areas in Gaza are currently classified as being in famine. However, it stressed that the situation remains “highly fragile,” warning that renewed hostilities could quickly push the entire territory back toward famine conditions.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the findings, describing the IPC report as “deliberately distorted” and not reflective of realities on the ground. Cogat, the Israeli military body overseeing aid entry into Gaza, said food aid deliveries exceeded UN requirements and criticized what it called gaps in data collection.

In response, the IPC said its analysis relied on publicly available data from UN agencies and Cogat itself.

The report highlighted critical levels of acute malnutrition in Gaza City, with serious levels also recorded in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. It projected that, if current trends continue, the number of people facing catastrophic food insecurity could fall to around 1,900 by April.

Key drivers of food insecurity, the IPC said, include restricted humanitarian access, the displacement of more than 730,000 people, and widespread destruction of livelihoods, with more than 96 percent of Gaza’s cropland destroyed or inaccessible.

Israel imposed a full blockade on aid to Gaza in March, later easing restrictions in May, saying the measures were aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that progress had been made toward a second phase of a US-brokered peace plan, though major issues remain unresolved.

Meanwhile, UNRWA said that despite Gaza no longer being classified as in famine, overall living conditions remain “catastrophic,” worsened by winter weather.

The agency called for sustained and expanded humanitarian and commercial access to prevent further deterioration. — Agenci