evidence: The report found that 1.1 million people in Gaza are expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger and risk famine, the highest number of people in that category ever recorded since the beginning of the current classification system. "This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system—anywhere, anytime," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a news briefing. Before Israel’s assault on Gaza, less than 1 percent of children in Gaza under five were acutely malnourished. But that figure has surged to between 12.4 and 16.5 percent. The UN-backed report concluded, "Famine is imminent in the northern governorates and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024."