The Palestinian territory, Sudan and South Sudan, as well as Mali and Haiti, have been identified as the top five places most likely to see deadly hunger levels in the coming months, according to a new report by United Nations food agencies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme said in a joint report on Thursday that “acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity” across 22 countries and territories.

The Rome-based UN agencies warned that the spread of conflict, particularly in the Middle East – coupled with climate and economic stressors – was pushing millions of people to the brink.

The report spotlighted the regional fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza, with Lebanon also engulfed in conflict, and warned that the La Nina weather pattern could affect the climate through March next year, threatening fragile food systems in already vulnerable regions.

“Without immediate humanitarian efforts and concerted international action to address severe access constraints and advocate for the de-escalation of conflict and insecurity, further starvation and loss of life are likely” in those spots, it found.

Of “very high concern” are Nigeria, Chad, Yemen, Mozambique, Myanmar, Syria and Lebanon, it said. In those countries, conflict was either a key driver of hunger, or a contributor.

With its focus on the most severe and worsening countries, the UN agencies said the report did not “represent all countries/territories experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity”.

The agencies said 2024 marked the second year of declining funding for humanitarian assistance, while 12 appeals faced funding shortfalls of more than 75 percent, including for Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria and Myanmar.

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