Dire warnings of mass starvation and famine among civilians in northern Gaza from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and aid organizations appear to be exaggerated, according to some experts.
“Leaders said thousands of children were going to die, but that didn’t happen, and nobody is trying to explain why,” David Adesnik, senior fellow and research director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. Adesnik has been tracking a recent increase in food availability in northern Gaza, which has not been commented on by researchers or the media.
The first warning of famine This was revealed in a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee (FRC) on March 18, which said that famine is “predicted and imminent” in northern Gaza and the Gaza Governorate. The FRC said that without an “immediate political decision for a ceasefire, as well as a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza,” “the mortality rate and the impact on the lives of Palestinians will increase significantly.”
A day after the report, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the report, saying during a press conference in the Philippines that “by the most respected measurement of these things, 100% of the population in Gaza is at a severe level of acute food insecurity. This is the first time an entire population has been classified as such.”
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Palestinians shop for food and clothing at a market in Jabalia, northern Gaza, January 15, 2024. (Mahmoud Shalha/Anadolu via Getty Images)
By May 31, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reported that “it is possible, if not likely, that all three IPC thresholds for famine…were met or exceeded in northern Gaza in April.”
On 4 June, the FRC issued a different forecast, contradicting the results of FEWS NET and stating that ” were not appreciativeOne of the reasons cited for the disagreement was their conclusion that “while FEWS NET estimated that calorie availability in the region met only 59% – 63% of requirements … in April, a review conducted by the FRC estimated the range to be 75% to 109% if commercial and/or privately contracted food deliveries are included,” and “157% if the higher estimate is used.”
Fox News Digital asked both the IPC and FEWS NET about the differences between their recent reports. The IPC said FRC analysts were unable to respond because they were working on an upcoming report, to be released on June 25, about conditions across Gaza.
A Palestinian woman works in a makeshift kitchen in a tent set up on the premises of a school for internally displaced children in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on June 20, 2024. (Omar al-Qatta/AFP via Getty Images)
FEWS Net reported that while the FRC suggested there was not enough evidence to determine barriers to accessing assistance, FEWS Net “observed significant challenges in both physical and financial access.”
FEWS NET explains that, “The analysis of acute food insecurity does not (and should) consider only the available supply, but also access to and use of available food.”
FEWS NET also stated that “When FEWS NET’s estimate of kilocalories available from food assistance is combined with FEWS NET’s estimate of kilocalories available from subsidized bread from (World Food Programme (WFP))-supported bakeries and (Coordinator of Government Activities in Israel’s Territories)-facilitated commercial/private sector food items, the differences between FEWS NET and the FRC’s estimates are not significant. FEWS NET estimates that these three sources combined provide approximately 150% of the calorie supply in the month of April.”
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Eggs are shown at a street market in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on June 21, 2024. (Majdi Fathi/TPS-IL)
Although Adesnik pointed out that FEWS NET’s original assessment did not include calories from World Food Programme (WFP) bread or commercial and private sector foods, he said the FRC found that “FEWS NET overlooked 940 tons of sugar, flour, salt and yeast that the World Food Programme delivered to bakeries in northern Gaza. The tone of the FRC’s review is always respectful, yet it highlights the extent to which FEWS NET made inexcusable assumptions that served to undermine Israel’s efforts to deliver more food to the people of northern Gaza.”
While Adesnik said there is no doubt that “hunger persists in northern Gaza and the need for humanitarian assistance is acute,” he also said the “glaring differences” between FEWS NET and the FRC’s assessments “underscore the subjectivity inherent in famine assessments, as well as the potential for politicization.”
For example, Adesnik said the lack of humanitarian access to Gazans is “integral to the charges” the International Criminal Court brought on May 20 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. They issued arrest warrants The ICC believes that Netanyahu and Galant “bear criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity. One of the charges against the men is that they were “planning to use starvation as a method of warfare.”
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (United Nations, via Reuters Connect/File)
“Whether the improvement in the situation in Gaza was due to the premature declaration of famine or to Israel’s increased supply of food in March and April, it shows how ridiculous the ICC’s allegations are,” Adesnik said.
Fox News Digital contacted the ICC to ask if they would change their assessment that Israeli authorities deliberately starved Gazans, based on the FRC’s findings about food availability in April, before charges were filed. The ICC responded by directing Fox News Digital to announce war crimes charges against Israeli and Hamas leaders in its statement.
IDF forces were seen operating in Rafah, Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesperson’s Office)
Other institutions are similarly reluctant to acknowledge that the dire threats described as “imminent” in March have not yet materialized.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) The hunger hotspot scenario The report on food insecurity from June to October said that “In Palestine, more than 1 million people – half the population of the Gaza Strip – are expected to face death and starvation (IPC Phase 5) by mid-July.”
In response to Fox News Digital’s question about whether the FAO planned to revise its report based on the FRC’s latest information on food availability in Gaza, the FAO news team said the organization would wait until the FRC releases its updated report to revise its assessment.
Humanitarian aid trucks from the United Nations and the World Health Organization wait to enter the central Gaza Strip on April 25, 2024. (Majdi Fathi/TPS)
A State Department spokesperson, responding to Fox News’ requests for comment about the disparities between FEWS NET and FRC reporting, expressed concern about “more than 2 million people and the most rapid level of food insecurity we’ve ever seen.” Noting that neither the FRC nor FEWS NET has confirmed that a famine is underway, the spokesperson said that “Gaza is in a dire food security crisis, with unacceptable rates of child malnutrition and high levels of related illness and death. And the whole purpose of measurement and early warning is to spur action now and not wait until it’s too late, and we’ve certainly reached a specific threshold.”
The surge in aid arriving in Gaza has been affected in recent weeks by cigarette smuggling, which “has now become a threat to UN aid convoys.” According to Israel’s TPS news agency, the UN has halted aid shipments because of attacks on convoys carrying the coveted cigarettes.
Citing the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), TPS reported that 285 aid trucks were transferred to the Gaza Strip from the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings. Of these, “only 88 aid trucks were collected by UN aid agencies and the private sector.” According to COGAT, “more than 1,000 trucks” and “hundreds of aid pallets” are awaiting collection and distribution.
“The UN needs to raise its standards,” COGAT posted online on June 20. Aerial video sharing Pile of unclaimed aid at the JLOTS collection and distribution complex.
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People buy food at a market in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on June 21, 2024. (Majdi Fathi/TPS-IL)
Matthew Hollingworth, WFP’s country director for Palestinians, recently said, In an interview with CNN “In terms of our operations, we have been able to bring more food to the north in the last few weeks, which has improved access to basic food items for people there, but we need to diversify the assistance we provide. It is not enough to have basic food items. Basic health care is needed, water and sanitation is needed, otherwise, we will not be able to prevent the problem of famine.”
A WFP spokesperson did not respond to a request from Fox News Digital asking whether Hollingsworth believes a famine is coming in Gaza.
As various institutions continue to indicate that Israel’s efforts to aid the civilian population have proven inadequate, the FRC’s assessment is consistent with studies conducted by academics and public health officials in Israel who found that aid is reaching the Gaza Strip. could provide for population To cater to a population of 2.4 million and its nutritional requirements.
