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While accusations persist that Israel is deliberately starving Gaza as part of a genocidal strategy, the evidence overwhelmingly shows otherwise. Israel has not only facilitated massive humanitarian aid inflows, but has done so under extreme wartime conditions, despite Hamas‘s ongoing rocket attacks, hostage-taking, and deliberate sabotage of aid distribution.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has enabled the delivery of nearly 2 million tons of supplies into Gaza, including over 1.3 million tons of food alone—enough to sustain the population if not for Hamas’s interference.

Aid volumes have fluctuated due to legitimate security concerns, including ceasefire negotiations, active military operations against Hamas terror infrastructure, and border threats from militants who have repeatedly attempted to hijack convoys. For instance, during the January 19-March 18, 2025, hostage-release ceasefire, Israel allowed over 25,000 aid trucks carrying 450,000 tons of supplies to enter Gaza.

Even after temporarily tightening restrictions to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages, Israel resumed and expanded aid flows in response to international coordination, demonstrating a commitment to humanitarian needs.

Critically, the only area where famine has been declared is Gaza City—a compact 45 km² zone (out of Gaza’s total 365 km²) in northern Gaza that remains a hotbed of Hamas control and active combat. (See map) This area lies outside Israel’s designated humanitarian safe zones, where civilians have been repeatedly urged to evacuate for their safety. (See map)

Just days ago, Israel launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots II to dismantle remaining Hamas strongholds in civilian neighbourhoods, aiming to restore order and enable better aid access. In contrast, no famine has been reported in areas under Israeli security oversight or in the humanitarian zones, where aid distribution functions more effectively.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) defines famine rigorously: at least 20% of households in extreme food insecurity, 30% acute child malnutrition, and a death rate exceeding two per 10,000 people daily from starvation or related causes. For Gaza’s 2+ million population, a full-strip famine would require over 400 starvation deaths per day—yet after nearly two years of conflict, total reported starvation deaths stand at just 281, far below even a single day’s threshold for the entire territory.

Changing Definitions, Exploiting Outrage

Alarmingly, the IPC’s recent Gaza City famine declaration relied on controversial changes to its own standards, buried in footnotes without transparent justification. They halved the malnutrition threshold from 30% to 15%, switched from reliable weight-and-height metrics to the less precise mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) method, and effectively ignored the mortality requirement.

Critics, including Israeli officials and experts like Richard Goldberg (former White House National Security Council director), argue this represents a politicised double standard, using unverifiable data from Hamas-controlled sources to manufacture a crisis narrative. The IPC’s adjustments appear designed to amplify pressure on Israel, despite evidence that actual conditions don’t meet global famine benchmarks.

Independent scientific analysis further undermines famine claims. A June 2025 study using capture-recapture methodology (similar to The Lancet‘s often-cited estimates) projected around 83,740 excess deaths in Gaza by early 2025—overwhelmingly (about 90%) from violence, not starvation, disease, or dehydration. Nonviolent excess deaths totalled just 8,540, a fraction attributable to hunger amid wartime disruptions.

Hamas’s role in exacerbating suffering cannot be ignored. Multiple reports document the group’s systematic diversion of aid for military purposes, including reselling supplies on black markets to fund terrorism—estimated to have netted Hamas nearly $1 billion since the war began.

U.S. Speaker Johnson: Since the war began, Israel has facilitated 94,000 truckloads of food into Gaza, enough to feed 2 million people for two years. Hamxs has profited $500 million from stolen aid. pic.twitter.com/IjEsi1h2uv

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 27, 2025

During ceasefires, Hamas has looted convoys, and Israeli forces have uncovered aid stockpiles in terror tunnels. By refusing to surrender, releasing hostages, or cooperating on distribution, Hamas deliberately prolongs civilian hardship to wage “lawfare“—exploiting international outrage for political gain. Israel, holding air, sea, and land supremacy, could easily impose a total blockade if intent on starvation; instead, it has prioritised aid facilitation while defending against an existential threat.

Summary:

• Israel has delivered unprecedented aid volumes—nearly 2 million tons via 90,000+ trucks, airdrops, and sea routes—proving no intent to starve.
• Famine claims are isolated to Hamas-dominated combat zones, not Israeli-controlled areas.
• The IPC’s declaration hinges on eased, opaque criteria, fuelling misleading narratives.
• Starvation deaths remain minimal compared to famine thresholds, with violence as the primary killer.
• Hamas’s aid theft, black-market profiteering, and refusal to end the war are the true drivers of suffering, turning humanitarian crises into weapons against Israel.

This isn’t genocide or deliberate starvation—it’s a tragic consequence of Hamas’s aggression and manipulation. International bodies should demand accountability from Hamas, not enable its tactics through biased reporting. The mainstream media are propagating fake news again.

Please note that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been praised by its supporters for delivering millions of meals to Gaza’s civilians under challenging conditions, aiming to bypass Hamas aid diversion and provide a secure, direct distribution system. Its efforts focus on addressing acute food insecurity through partnerships, logistical innovation, and U.S. backing, with a reported $30 million commitment from the U.S. government. Hamas have repeatedly attacked GHF distribution as they lose control and political power.

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.