A United Nations-backed report declaring famine in areas of Gaza has sparked a war of words over the conditions in the enclave. 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, released on Friday, has announced for the first time that the Gaza Governorate is experiencing a famine. Meanwhile, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis are in a severe crisis. The situation in Northern Gaza is believed to be as dire, if not worse, than in the Gaza Governorate. The report does not cover Rafah because it is mostly seen as uninhabited.

The IPC, supported by the U.N., consists of U.N. agencies, NGOs, and technical experts, and is recognized globally for classifying food crises.

Israel has strongly rejected the report’s conclusions, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office labeling it “an outright lie.” According to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein, the report is “tailor-made” with information from “Hamas lies laundered through organizations with vested interests,” and he denied there is a famine in Gaza.

DEIR AL BALAH, GAZA – AUGUST 10: Palestinians wait with pots in their hands as a charitable organization distributes food.

Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a former White House and National Security Council official in both Trump administrations, criticized the report as being driven by politics.

“The U.N. and far-left NGOs are often ideologically driven to undermine Israel and support Hamas, which has led them to alter their criteria for declaring a famine in Gaza while ignoring a real famine in Sudan. The data doesn’t back a famine declaration in Gaza, yet the politically predetermined conclusion seems to matter more,” Goldberg stated to Fox News Digital.

Palestinians run towards parachutes carrying aid packages, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip Aug. 18, 2025.  (Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

Goldberg also highlighted the timing of the report, noting it was released just days after Israel announced plans to enter Gaza City — located in the Gaza Governorate — as a significant point.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee shared a statement from Netanyahu’s office and said that “tons of food has gone into Gaza but Hamas savages stole it, ate lots of it to become corpulent, sold it on the black market but they didn’t give it to the hostages.”

Hamas terrorists carrying clubs and firearms secure humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya on June 25, 2025. (TPS-IL)

Fifty hostages have been held in Gaza for nearly 700 days. Of those, 20 are believed to be alive while the rest are confirmed dead. Hamas is holding onto their remains. Earlier this month, the terror group released a video of hostage Evyatar David who appeared extremely thin and said he had not eaten in days.