GENEVA/JERUSALEM, August 22 2025 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly disapproved of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) declaration of famine in Gaza, calling the report an “outright lie” and alleging it ignored what he saw as dramatic increases in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
IPC announced earlier today that famine has now set in Gaza City, with 514,000 people suffering immediately and projections reaching 641,000 by late September. This unprecedented declaration has reignited heated discussions regarding who bears responsibility for this mounting humanitarian crisis.
AP News; Reuters + 6; The Guardian all carry articles reporting this development.
+6 Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly responded that Israel has provided over two million tons of aid since the war’s outbreak – amounting to more than one ton per person – into Gaza since August 1 – prompting IPC critics to forget recent efforts and emphasize how food prices in Gaza have decreased since Israel’s intervention. He blamed IPC of neglecting recent efforts while underlining how food prices in Gaza have indeed fallen due to Israeli efforts. The Guardian (+2) Israel National News.
Prime Minister’s Office rejected claims of famine as “modern blood libel”, noting that Israel’s actions, such as setting up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and operating community kitchens, demonstrate its dedication to preventing starvation rather than aiding it. According to Israeli data, over 101,000 aid trucks carrying two million tons of supplies entered Gaza since October 7; community kitchens run jointly with NGOs are producing over 400,000 hot meals daily across 86 kitchens – Financial Times* +8*
Israel National News* +8
Israel’s Defense and Humanitarian Coordination Unit, COGAT, voiced criticism against IPC’s methodology by alleging that many trucks recorded as entering Gaza had either partially loaded cargoes or were looted before reaching civilians; COGAT claimed this meant IPC relied too heavily on “biased, partial sources.”
According to Israel National News this claim had merit.
On the other side, humanitarian organizations and global officials continue to emphasize that famine represents a “man-made catastrophe.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and emergency relief director Tom Fletcher strongly condemned Israel for blocking aid deliveries unrestrictedly and dismantling civilian aid systems that previously functioned smoothly; both leaders warned that without full ceasefire and restored humanitarian access the famine will only worsen.
Wikipedia +13 and Financial Times+13 respectively.
Reports from field agencies describe hospitals being overrun with acute malnutrition and starvation-related illnesses among children, while aid groups have expressed alarm over rising death tolls and the breakdown of vital survival systems. AP News.
Reuters This narrative dispute underscores a wider crisis: Israel asserts it is alleviating suffering through an unprecedented aid operation, while UN agencies and aid groups criticise this as insufficient given widespread infrastructure damage and ongoing hostilities.
As the international community ponders this reality of numbers and suffering, Gaza’s fate depends on whether humanitarian imperatives can outsmart geopolitics – or whether famine becomes yet another casualty of conflict.