Israel has denied a United Nations-supported report claiming famine in Gaza, labeling it as containing “gross forgeries.” A representative from the foreign ministry stated that Jerusalem would advocate for donor countries to withdraw funding unless the report is retracted.
On August 22, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that famine is present in the Gaza Governorate and could extend to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by late September. The report indicated that nearly one-third of Gaza’s population of around 2 million—approximately 641,000 individuals—may face severe starvation.
The IPC’s findings project that 132,000 children under 5 years old may experience acute malnutrition until 2026, with over 41,000 cases considered severe. Additionally, it noted that more than 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women also need immediate nutritional aid.
The Foreign Ministry sent an official letter demanding the report’s retraction and cautioned that Israel would call on donor nations to suspend funding to the IPC “until professional credibility is reinstated.” It also circulated a PowerPoint titled “The IPC Fraud,” criticizing the methodology as “shooting the arrow and then drawing the target.” One slide stated: “The facts are clear: The IPC report is forged.”
The IPC did not respond to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
During a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Dorothy Shea, the acting U.S. ambassador to the U.N., acknowledged the seriousness of hunger but criticized the IPC report.
“We can only address issues with credibility and integrity. Sadly, the IPC’s recent report doesn’t meet these standards. One of its prime authors has a significant history of prejudice against Israel, even defending Houthi terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian sites. He should have stepped aside, by his own criterion. This highlights why typical standards were altered for this assertion, which raises critical doubts,” she stated.
Women engage with Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) workers. (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation)
In response to Fox News Digital’s questions, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, defended the IPC process and rejected Israel’s claims: “The data that the IPC put out on famine in Gaza is robust. It is scientific and it is technical,” Dujarric said. “IPC famine analysis uses a standard measurement … reviewed carefully by an independent group of experts who confirmed that a famine is taking place in Gaza Governorate.”
He said the IPC relied on “recent and verified” U.N. agency data streams including WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, and WFP, while also considering figures from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
On whether Hamas’s exploitation of aid factored in, Dujarric said the report “illustrates the constraints that hinder humanitarian organizations from distributing aid and stand in the way of allowing people to get the aid they need.”
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) posted this photo that shows humanitarian aid pallets waiting to be distributed in Gaza. (COGAT)
On Thursday, Secretary-General António Guterres claimed that “Famine is no longer a looming possibility — it is a present-day catastrophe. People are dying from hunger, families are being torn apart by displacement and despair,” Guterres told reporters before briefing the Security Council.
