The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) declared famine (IPC Phase 5) in Gaza Governorate on 22 August 2025 — the first such declaration in the Middle East. This report was immediately criticised for serious methodological flaws, prompting IPC to issue a formal response on 30 August meant to address these concerns. Instead of resolving them, the response introduced new problems and reinforced the pattern of distortion. The main flaws across both the August 22 report and the August 30 response can be summarised as follows:
Misuse of MUAC Thresholds
The famine declaration was based on a 15% MUAC threshold presented as equivalent to 30% WHZ. However, analysis of the very dataset IPC cites shows that this threshold is far more permissive — flagging six times as many cases as famine compared with the 30% WHZ line. Contrary to IPC’s claim, the actual WHZ/MUAC prevalence ratio in the Middle East is about 1.3, not 1.9, implying a famine cut-off closer to 23%.
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