Israel slams UN’s biased Gaza ‘famine’ report for using Hamas sources and faulty data

COGAT emphasized that since May, more than 10,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza and that the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed over 2.2 million relief packages.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel is challenging a new global report declaring famine in northern Gaza, arguing the findings are based on unreliable data and fail to reflect aid deliveries on the ground.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) announced Thursday that famine is occurring in the Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City, and warned that conditions could worsen in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by late September.

The group estimated 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are in famine conditions, a number it expects to rise to 641,000 within weeks.

The declaration was rejected by the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Defense Ministry body overseeing humanitarian operations in Gaza.

In a counter-report, COGAT said the IPC assessment “adopts a biased approach riddled with severe methodological flaws,” and alleged it relied in part on information from UNRWA workers, some of whom Israel says are linked to Hamas.

COGAT emphasized that since May, more than 10,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza and that the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed over 2.2 million relief packages. The agency also pointed to daily humanitarian pauses and expanded airdrops intended to ease food shortages, arguing that international aid groups, not Israel, bear responsibility for delays in distributing supplies.

While acknowledging a temporary halt earlier this year, COGAT referred to the 11-week closure of border crossings as a “temporary closure,” downplaying what aid agencies say was a turning point in worsening hunger.

An infographic released Aug. 22 by COGAT showed average market prices of basic staples in Gaza. The agency said this demonstrates that food is available, though aid groups counter that affordability and access remain limited in the north.

Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, COGAT’s chief, urged international bodies to “act responsibly and not be swept away by false narratives and unfounded propaganda,” adding that Hamas interference has both distorted data and hindered aid distribution.