The Israeli government — and the opposition — rejected new claims Friday by the United Nations that there is “famine” in Gaza, noting that Israel provides ample aid and that the only starving people are Israeli hostages.
As the Times of Israel noted, the claim of “famine” was based on a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), whose data were debunked immediately by Israeli officials (and observers).
The Times of Israel noted:
A global hunger monitor declared for the first time on Friday that famine has struck the densely populated northern Gaza Strip, some 22 months after the outbreak of war in the enclave following the deadly Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
The charge was swiftly denied by Israel, with the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, the Defense Ministry body that oversees aid, accusing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system of basing its report on “biased and self-interested sources originating from Hamas.”
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According to the IPC report, an estimated 514,000 people — or nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are experiencing famine, and that number is expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres seized on the report to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza:
However, the Israeli government rejected the claims, as did opposition figure Benny Gantz — who left a national unity government over difference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He posted on X: “As former IDF Chief & Minister of Defense – I can declare unequivocally: Israel has never adopted the policy or even enabled the practice of purposeful starvation.” He said that the UN was acting on a political agenda.
Gantz also endorsed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has delivered over 130 million meals to Gaza, using American funding and Israeli backing, as well as private security contractors.
The Israeli government has rejected such claims before, noting that many “starving” Palestinian children cited in the international media actually had other ailments. Netanyahu has even threatened to sue the New York Times over such claims.
One exchange between a UN official and a reporter illustrated the degree to which the UN is willing to allow Palestinians to starve, rather than to work with Israel:
The UN has also rejected offers of help from the GHF.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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