The Misleading Reports of the U.N. Over Famine in Gaza

"The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at the center of a campaign against Israel in the international arena. As part of this campaign, Israel is accused of blocking humanitarian aid and even following a policy of deliberate starvation of the Palestinian population. The basis of these accusations is the reports and regular updates on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip published by the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The reports paint a harsh picture of insufficient humanitarian aid and a severe nutritional crisis. Another important source is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report that declared in March that 'famine is imminent' in northern Gaza and was expected to spread in the Strip.

Israel publishes its own regular reports and updates through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). These reports include data on the extent of aid entering the Strip and Israel’s humanitarian efforts. A comparison of the two sets of reports shows significant discrepancies between the figures provided by COGAT and the UN. An examination of the reason for these gaps reveals that the UN reports are based on incomplete data from sources within Gaza, without disclosing the source of the data and the fact that the figures do not reflect all the aid entering the Strip. Thus, the UN reports have knowingly created a distorted picture of the situation and led to unfounded accusations against Israel of intentionally causing starvation. Consequently, the UN reports have inaccurately portrayed the situation leading to unjustified accusations against Israel of implementing a policy of starvation..."