Gaza starvation: Why Israel's supporters are misrepresenting Unicef study

Gaza starvation: Why Israel's supporters are misrepresenting Unicef study Peter Oborne on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 17:18 Data showing lower malnutrition levels in the enclave should be cheered - but these findings do not erase the crimes of the past A Palestinian mother cradles her 18-month-old son, displaying signs of malnutrition, in Gaza’s al-Shati refugee camp, on 24 July 2025 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) On Israel has consistently denied that it has used starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.  These denials date back to Israel’s submission to the International Court of Justice in response to South Africa’s genocide case at the Hague in January 2024. Its lawyers asserted that “Israel has publicly stated repeatedly that there is no limit on the amount of food, water, shelter or medical supplies that can be brought into Gaza”. From the start, these protestations have been challenged by human rights organisations.  Amnesty International reported that “at no point” between October 2023 and early July 2024 did Israeli authorities allow “adequate aid and other essential life-saving supplies” to be provided. After Israel imposed a total blockade spanning March to mid-May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it generated “one of the world’s worst hunger crises”, with 57 children reportedly dying of malnutrition - and noted that “this number is likely an underestimate”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); When the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024, the allegations included “the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population”. Israel is naturally entitled to challenge these allegations, and its supporters have regularly done so. Last week, they launched a fresh campaign in the wake of the publication of a Unicef survey addressing malnutrition in Gaza, foc