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The organization behind the report claimed it had relied on statistics provided by the UN from mid-November and would update the figures but did not withdraw its report, according to the Times.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS DECEMBER 27, 2024 18:58
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 18, 2024
(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew on Tuesday criticized the Famine Early Warning Systems Network’s Monday report on an alleged famine in Gaza, according to international media reports, claiming that many of the statistics it published were “irresponsible,” “outdated and inaccurate.”
“At a time when inaccurate information is causing confusion and accusations, it is irresponsible to issue a report like this,” the US diplomat said. “We work day and night with the UN and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs‚ which are great.”
One of Lew’s issues with the report was that it seemed to grossly inflate the population of northern Gaza from 65,000 to 75,000 people when Lew said the actual population was only 7,000 to 15,000 civilians, according to The New York Times. The difference in population size would directly impact the expected amount of aid needed to supply the population - resulting in the current supply of humanitarian resources being recognized as insufficient for a population of over 65,000.
Lew stressed that his estimates had drawn information from the United Nations, which claimed that northern Gaza had a population of 10,000 to 15,000 and Israeli population estimates of 5,000-9,000.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) also denied the report’s findings, claiming on X/Twitter that it “deliberately and inaccurately ignores the extensive humanitarian efforts made by Israel in the northern Gaza Strip.”
COGAT also accused the Famine Early Warning Systems Network of choosing to “present a partial picture [that] creates a false representation for the international community.”
While stressing that since October, 2,100 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the northern Gaza Strip, “The report entirely disregards the dozens of coordination efforts for supplies sent to hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, including the Indonesian Hospital and the Kamal Adwan Hospital. Over the past two months, these hospitals have received, based on their requests, tens of thousands of liters of fuel, thousands of food packages, water, and medical supplies.”
What you need to know in regards to recent reports: ● The report deliberately and inaccurately ignores the extensive humanitarian efforts made by Israel in the northern Gaza Strip. The organization’s choice to present a partial picture creates a false representation for the…
— COGAT (@cogatonline) December 23, 2024The organization behind the report claimed it had relied on statistics provided by the UN from mid-November and would update the figures but did not withdraw its report, according to the Times.
Why aid isn't reaching as far as it could
Despite extensive efforts to deliver aid, Hamas and gangs have continued to loot aid, contributing to much of the hunger experienced across Gaza.
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In October, $9.5 million worth of food and other goods – nearly a quarter of all the humanitarian aid sent to Gaza that month – was lost because of attacks and looting, according to a previously unreported tally of incidents compiled by UN relief agencies with charity organizations. In October, 40% of aid collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza was looted, according to the tally of incidents seen by Reuters.
To gauge the depth of the hunger crisis, US officials said they watch the percentage of Gaza's population to whom UN relief agencies could provide food assistance each month.
In November, it was 29%, up from 24% in October, but a sharp fall from a wartime peak of more than 70% in April, according to UN data.
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