Netanyahu's Attack on the Gaza Famine Report Aims to Hide the Truth From Israelis
Israel rushed to discredit the report that determined Gaza is suffering from the highest level of famine. But lies and victim-playing do not change one basic fact: Israel starved Gazans until the world intervened
For official Israel, the report represents a political and public diplomacy disaster. In recent days, a large team of government officials and military officers has worked intensively to find flaws in the report. The campaign to undermine it began even before its release, led by the Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Much of the Israeli media quickly echoed the official line, portraying the report as biased, agenda-driven and unreliable.
It's hard to believe the global community will be convinced, but that was never the goal. The real purpose is to hide the truth from the Israeli public – the truth about what is being done in its name. That reality is already evident in virtual visits to Gaza's clinics, such as those featured in a Haaretz weekend article that coincided with the report's publication.
To understand both the report and Israel's attempts to discredit it, it is necessary to understand what the IPC is. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification was created in 2004 to assess famine in Somalia. It collects data from 21 recognized humanitarian organizations, both UN-affiliated and independent, and applies a rigorous expert-led analysis. Its technical guide spans more than 200 pages.
Three indicators of a man-made famine
Phase 5 famine is officially classified when three key indicators are breached.
First, the IPC measures food consumption: Is there enough food in a specific area? Is it accessible to the entire population? According to field surveys cited in the report, 86 percent of Gaza households reported poor food consumption. More than half of adults said they skipped meals at least four times a week (many Gazans told Haaretz they eat just one meal per day). A third reported searching for food among rubble.
Israel does not dispute these figures. It is a matter of record that food shipments into Gaza were blocked for more than two months and even after that, only small quantities of food were allowed in.
The second criterion is severe or acute malnutrition, especially among children. Data is collected from dozens of clinics where medical staff measure upper-arm circumference. Israel claims this sampling is skewed, arguing the children assessed were the weakest, and that the method doesn't reflect true nutritional status – unlike weight and height. Some even claimed the method was invented specifically for Gaza.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-08-24/ty-article/.premium/the-gaza-famine-report-netanyahus-attack-aims-to-hide-the-truth-from-israelis/00000198-dc05-daa7-a7fc-dc3f4ada0000
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