Israel is facing mounting accusations of using starvation as a weapon in Gaza, with critics pointing to a concerted public relations effort to deflect blame. Officials and ministers have variously denied that Palestinians are suffering from hunger, claimed it is not Israel's fault, or blamed Hamas and the UN for aid distribution problems. This comes despite overwhelming evidence of widespread malnutrition and deaths, including among children.
The World Health Organization has described the situation as 'man-made mass starvation', a view endorsed by 28 countries including the UK in a joint statement. The statement condemned Israel's 'drip-feeding of aid' and the 'inhumane killing of civilians' seeking food and water. Israel's far-right heritage minister, Amichai Eliyahu, has appeared to describe an unapologetic policy of starvation, though Israel denies this is official policy.
Israeli officials have offered conflicting accounts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vaguely promised 'no starvation', while a senior security official told journalists off the record that 'there is no hunger in Gaza' and that images of starving children show those with 'underlying diseases'. Government spokesperson David Mencer told Sky News: 'There is no famine in Gaza – there is a famine of the truth.'
However, Médecins Sans Frontières reported that a quarter of young children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers screened at its clinics last week were malnourished, while the UN said one in five children in Gaza City suffer from malnutrition. Israel's claims are further undermined by its legal obligation as an occupying power to ensure the provision of life's necessities. A leaked US assessment found no evidence of systematic theft of US-funded aid by Hamas, contradicting Israeli allegations.
Israel has also intensified efforts to blame the UN for aid distribution problems, despite clear evidence of its own actions hindering aid. It banned the main UN agency for Palestinians, Unrwa, from operating, and has relied on the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose sites have been the scene of mass killings by Israeli soldiers. Last week, Israel refused to renew the work visa of the top UN aid official in Gaza and rejected half of UN requests to transport humanitarian aid.
