Israel Rejects IPC Report on Gaza Famine Amid Ongoing Conflict
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the authority responsible for managing aid to Gaza, has dismissed findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPC) regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis as “false” and “biased,” asserting they are based on “partial and unreliable sources, many of them affiliated with Hamas,” reports 24brussels.
In a statement, Israel’s foreign ministry reinforced this stance, declaring, “There is no famine in Gaza,” while accusing the IPC report of manipulating its own rules to “smear Israel with lies.”
However, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the dire situation, stating, “This man-made, widespread malnutrition means that even common and usually mild diseases like diarrhoea are becoming fatal, especially for children. Gaza must be urgently supplied with food and medicines. Aid blockages must end!”
Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer Tjada D’Oyen McKenna echoed these concerns, calling the confirmation of famine “absolutely horrifying yet not surprising.” She described the ongoing situation in Gaza as a “moral failing of the highest order,” emphasizing that the world knows how to combat famine but requires the determination to act.
The renewed violence began when Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion from Gaza into Israel on October 7, 2023, coinciding with a significant Jewish holiday. The assault resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, predominantly among civilians. Additionally, around 250 individuals, including children, were captured and taken into Gaza, prompting an extensive retaliatory response from the Israel Defense Forces.
The Gaza health ministry, under Hamas administration, reported that 61,000 Palestinians have died due to Israeli military actions since the war’s onset. This figure has been verified as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
Nahal Toosi contributed to this report.
