The head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, has described the situation in Gaza as the worst humanitarian emergency on the planet, condemning "Israel's" military campaign for obstructing life-saving assistance to civilians.

"There's very serious malnutrition. You've seen people die of hunger there." McCain told Japan's NHK broadcaster. "It's very difficult when they're pointing guns at us or tanks or anything else. There's been aid stoppage because all of a sudden that road is blocked. We can't get in."

Her warning came as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared catastrophic famine in Gaza, the first such declaration for the territory. The IPC system, which ranks hunger crises from one to five, confirmed Gaza has reached phase five, its most severe level.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said famine is now "certain in Gaza City" after months of unheeded warnings, stressing that both food shortages and the collapse of essential services are driving the catastrophe.

Children on the edge

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that nearly 13,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition threatening their lives. UNICEF’s Samir el-Hawari told Al Mayadeen on Saturday that the crisis "is no longer only about food, but also the absence of proper healthcare," stressing that survival depends on immediate access to nutrition centers and medical services.

He added that recent aid shipments through Cyprus treated only 1,000 children for one month, "a fraction of the actual need", and that nothing short of a full ceasefire would allow adequate delivery of food, clean water, and health services.

Gaza’s health authorities said on Sunday that at least 289 people, including 115 children, have already died of malnutrition, a toll expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks.

Aid blockade and restrictions

Despite "Israel" partially reopening supply routes between July 27 and August 20, only 2,187 trucks were permitted entry, covering just 14% of the population's needs. Local officials insist that at least 600 trucks per day are required to meet basic demand for food, medicine, fuel, and other essentials.

Authorities in Gaza accuse Israeli forces of facilitating the looting of convoys and deliberately banning key food items such as red meat, fish, eggs, fresh produce, dairy products, and nutritional supplements. These restrictions, combined with the destruction of Gaza’s own agricultural base, have left the civilian population facing mass starvation.

Read more: Gaza the epicenter of record aid worker deaths in 2024: UN

McCain acknowledged that other regions, including Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Sahel, are also suffering humanitarian crises. Yet she affirmed that Gaza faces the most devastating conditions worldwide, with more than 640,000 Palestinians projected to experience catastrophic food insecurity by September if restrictions remain in place.