Experts stress that political commitment, humanitarian diplomacy, and coordinated action across humanitarian, development, and peace efforts are essential to avert worst outcomes.

Middle Eastern countries and territories—such as Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria—remain highly vulnerable due to declines in domestic production, economic shocks, and funding cuts.

Conflicts, funding shortages, and climate shocks are the main drivers of hunger, with additional pressures from regional spillovers, disease outbreaks, and economic shocks affecting markets and aid access.

The drivers are conflict, funding shortfalls, and climate shocks, compounded by the Middle East spillover and other regional pressures.

A joint UN FAO-WFP report warns that acute hunger will worsen from June to November 2026 across 13 global hot spots, affecting about 266 million people currently in high hunger levels.

The Hunger Hotspots report flags that Arab and Muslim countries are at heightened risk, with Palestine, Yemen, and Sudan among the most vulnerable.

U.S. aid agencies have restructured funding, with replenishments to WFP and UNICEF amid policy shifts.

Officials warn crises are foreseeable and preventable, but the window to act is narrowing as humanitarian funding fell to 2016-2017 levels in 2025, hindering monitoring and prioritization.

Lebanon has been newly identified as a hotspot requiring close monitoring due to displacement, rising food prices, and economic turmoil.

The root causes include conflict and violence, economic shocks, and climate-related events that disrupt livelihoods, markets, infrastructure, and humanitarian access.

The hotspots with the greatest risk include Sudan, South Sudan, Gaza, and Somalia, with Gaza showing some improvement but remaining highly fragile.

Funding for food assistance has fallen about 59% since 2022, even as needs rise; the U.S. pledged $800 million to WFP to aid over 38 million people, though the 2026 appeal exceeds $10 billion and remains underfunded.