This week marks nine months since the horrific events of October 7 and the start of the Swords of Iron War. As of today, 120 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, and IDF forces are continuing operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Israel has emphasized that it is dedicated to allowing and facilitating the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Nonetheless, Israel has been accused of intentionally withholding humanitarian aid, leading to allegations of starvation of the Palestinian population.
These claims are based on reports from the UN regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been publishing the number of aid trucks entering Gaza, claiming that there is a critical lack of aid reaching the area. On the basis of OCHA figures, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a joint initiative of countries, UN agencies, and other international organizations (NGOs) that analyze situations of food insecurity and malnutrition, declared in March that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza.
OCHA’s data and the IPC’s findings were reflected in statements and reports by UN officials who warned that thousands in Gaza could die of starvation if an immediate ceasefire was not reached.
These findings have led to a series of interim orders issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague as part of the genocide proceedings against Israel, initiated by South Africa, and to a request by the prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, for arrest warrants against Israel’s prime minister and defense minister.
According to OCHA, slightly over 28,000 aid trucks entered Gaza between the outbreak of the war and the end of June. These figures differ significantly from those of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) of Israel, which reported that more than 38,000 aid trucks entered Gaza, a discrepancy of almost 10,000 aid trucks.
So, who is correct – Israel or the UN? How much aid really entered Gaza? Is there famine in Gaza? Is the UN, an organization meant to be neutral, consciously working against Israel?
Reports are based on incomplete data
A review of UN reports reveals that they are based on incomplete data from sources in Gaza. Since October 7, UNRWA has been responsible for collecting data on humanitarian aid entering Gaza on behalf of the UN. UNRWA collects data only on aid entering the Gaza Strip via trucks through the southern border crossings in Kerem Shalom and Rafah, where its representatives are stationed, and only on trucks that were observed and collected by them while they were there.
Accordingly, OCHA reports do not account for aid parachuted into the Gaza Strip, delivered via the JLOTS floating pier, or transported by trucks entering Gaza from the north, where UNRWA representatives are not stationed. Furthermore, aid from Kerem Shalom and Rafah collected by other organizations, other UN agencies, international NGOs, countries, and the private sector is not included in the OCHA reports. Additionally, shipments from the World Food Program (WFP), flour deliveries to bakeries in northern Gaza, as well as gas and fuel, are likewise not included.
As opposed to OCHA, COGAT’s reports show data for all the aid trucks that crossed into the Strip from all UN agencies and other aid organizations, from countries and the private sector, and from all the crossings, southern and northern.
The UN’s heavy reliance on UNRWA data results in an incomplete and unreliable understanding of the aid flow into Gaza. What is especially striking is that OCHA knowingly concealed the fact that it is not publishing the full amount of aid entering Gaza. Until May, OCHA did not disclose the fact that UNRWA was the main source of the data and did not indicate that the data only shows a portion of the aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip.
As a result of its reliance on OCHA’s faulty reports, the IPC’s assessments provided a misleading view of the hunger situation, which was later discredited by the report of the Famine Review Committee (FRC) of the IPC on June 4. The committee found no evidence of famine in Gaza, pointing to significant data gaps and unverified evidence in the IPC report. It also noted discrepancies with other sources and emphasized that the nutritional content of aid entering Gaza exceeds international guidelines.
In doing so, the UN single-handedly contributed to the false accusation of Israel’s starvation policy and the demonization of Israel, placing all responsibility for the humanitarian crisis on Israel. It also contributed to the legal measures taken against Israel in international tribunals and created an incentive for Hamas to deepen the crisis and further distance the end of the war.
It is important to acknowledge that the shortage of supplies in the Gaza Strip, an unfortunate inherent hardship for any population facing a war situation, does not indicate that there is widespread hunger in the Strip and certainly not intentional starvation of the population. The complete data indicates that the aid entering Gaza meets the minimum requirements, and there is no shortage of food in the area. Contrary to the UN data and the IPC forecast, such data is consistent with the situation on the ground. This is evident from the images showing full markets and the drop in supply prices in Gaza. It is also evident from the FRC’s report that denied the famine forecast in Gaza. All of this demonstrates that Israel fulfills its obligations according to international law. Despite this, the UN continues to present false claims about hunger and starvation.
Prosecutors and judicial bodies seeking to formulate conclusions regarding the scope of aid and the state of hunger in the Strip are expected to examine all the data, including the data in Israel’s reports, to verify them and to treat with seriousness the discrepancies between contrasting figures. The analysis proves that it is not possible to get a complete and reliable picture of the amount of aid and the state of hunger among the population based on the UN data or the IPC findings, and it is certainly not possible on the basis of their reports to attribute to Israel the intention of starvation and to accuse its leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity, not least accusing Israel of the preposterous charge of committing genocide.
The writer is a researcher in the law and national security program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).