ReliefWeb shares the latest analyses, data, and resources on global food emergencies from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Access ReliefWeb updates for FEWS NET’s latest analysis of acute food insecurity Conflict carries devastating costs that extend far beyond the battlefield. In Gaza, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has warned for months that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war will continue to severely impact food security – and lead to even further loss of life – as fighting continues to block access to critical food sources. While conflict is fueling food crises worldwide, what sets Gaza apart is its uniquely isolated setting with tight borders that have only become more difficult to penetrate since October 2023. “Gaza is a bit of a unique case because it is a walled area,” FEWS NET Markets and Trade Advisor Amy Ostrander said. “The entry of food is really controlled and potentially measurable in a way that, in other emergencies, is generally not the case.” While FEWS NET has access to more data on Gaza than many other crisis regions, crucial information gaps persist. Specifically, it is unclear whether food supplies entering the territory are reaching those most in need. In its June Gaza Strip Food Supply Report, FEWS NET highlighted four main data challenges amid the ongoing conflict: Lack of staff access: Due to restricted humanitarian access, security risks and infrastructure damage, there is a shortage of data collectors physically present in Gaza. This limits the available information on market activity, including data on the number of trucks entering Gaza, agricultural production, food prices, and overall food supply. Data incompleteness and inconsistency: Existing data on food entering Gaza often lack crucial details such as type of food, cargo type (commercial or humanitarian), and border entry point. Additionally, data sources frequently change, requiring constant adjustments in analysis to assess trends in the amount of food entering the territory. Data on food availability, but not food access: While credible estimates of food entering Gaza exist, they do not accurately represent the food accessible to households. A significant amount of food is stored at border crossings, and there is insufficient data to track food distribution and pricing within Gaza. Lack of household food security data: There is a lack of data on household income sources and food purchases. To bridge these gaps, FEWS NET has started gathering information directly from Gazans through phone surveys. These surveys aim to answer questions about Gazans’ food consumption and market experiences to build a more comprehensive picture of the crisis. Access and Download FEWS NET’s Gaza Phone Survey Data and Resources With the help of an independent contractor, FEWS NET aims to interview up to 1,600 people across the Gaza Strip every month. Some survey questions ask whether families have had to limit meal portion sizes or skip meals due to a lack of food. Market-specific questions aim to fill information gaps about the prices and availability of commercial food items in Gaza as conflict continues to disrupt regular supply and demand. “As the military offensive continues and people continue to move around Gaza, the market situations are very dynamic and shifting,” Ostrander said. “These phone survey data will allow us to provide more detail on what is strained and what is functional than what we were able to do before.” Phone surveys are just one component of FEWS NET's convergence of evidence approach, which involves analyzing a range of data sources to inform food security projections that help decision-makers allocate scarce humanitarian resources. While phone survey data provide valuable information, they also have certain shortcomings, particularly when collected in an active warzone. “We always have to consider certain biases that may come with data collected via mobile phone surveys, especially amid conflict,” USAID’s FEWS NET Program Director Kiersten Johnson said. “Typically, we expect much higher levels of non-responses than when we conduct surveys face-to-face. There can also be issues with the sampling frame, gender or class biases, and in the case of Gaza, where people don’t have electricity to charge their phones, telecom systems are down or destroyed, and people don’t have money to pay for airtime, these problems of bias are amplified.” FEWS NET and its partners will continue to collect as much high-quality, detailed, and up-to-date data as possible as the conflict evolves. FEWS NET will also make these data – in addition to documentation on data collection and analysis methodologies – available to the public. “FEWS NET embraces the core principle of data transparency by making all of the data used in our analyses publicly available through the FEWS NET Data Explorer,” FEWS NET Program Manager Kevin Coffey said. “Data transparency supports accountability in data collection and analysis and helps to build trust between the FEWS NET programme, the broader humanitarian community, and the public. Trust through transparency must be consistently cultivated so we can work together confidently when crises emerge.” In the case of Gaza, it is difficult to say with certainty whether Famine (IPC Phase 5) – the highest phase of acute food insecurity, marked by starvation, death, destitution, and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels – is ongoing as physical access to the territory remains constrained. “Regardless of whether or not the Famine thresholds have been definitively reached or exceeded, people across Gaza are already dying of hunger-related causes,” Johnson said. “Humanitarians are doing all they can to deliver food aid inside Gaza, but they need safe freedom of movement to help relieve this suffering and preserve lives that are being lost every day.” Subscribe to FEWS NET updates to receive Gaza food security forecasts directly in your inbox, and follow FEWS NET on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn for the latest updates.