Some have criticized the latest report from an organization that earlier this year asserted there was famine in parts of Gaza, stating that the new document is one – sided and its conclusions were “pre – determined.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an organization supported by the United Nations, previously claimed that famine conditions were met in Gaza Governorate in August. However, it now says that around 1.6 million Gazans are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.”
IDF Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is in charge of matters related to Gaza, pointed out what he called “biased claims” by the IPC. He said these claims “ignore the amount of food that entered during the ceasefire, suggesting that the report’s conclusions were pre – set.”
A statement from COGAT noted, “It’s important to remember that this isn’t the first time reports with extreme forecasts and warnings that don’t come true in reality have been published. Time after time, IPC assessments have turned out to be wrong and not in line with on – the – ground data, going against verified facts such as aid volumes, food availability, and market trends. The international community should act responsibly, avoid being deceived by false stories and distorted information, and refrain from giving legitimacy to a one – sided and unprofessional report.”
In its latest report, the IPC’s Famine Review Committee addressed the changing situation, explaining that “after the publication of the [last] FRC report, there was a partial easing of the blockade and an increase in the availability of food and other essential supplies.” While the FRC says this “was too late to prevent [something] in July and early August, the continuation of famine and its spread to other governorates during the projection period have been avoided.”
In August, the IPC predicted that two additional governorates would experience famine by September 30. At that time, several experts, including Dr. David Adesnik, the vice – president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, disputed the existence of famine conditions. Adesnik told [a media] Digital that although the mortality figures were concerning, they did not reach the levels expected during famine. He also said that the prices of key food items had remained relatively stable or even decreased during the so – called famine period.
After the IPC’s latest report, Adesnik said that the IPC is still “avoiding the question of proving that they were right” about previous famine declarations.
When evaluating the lack of mortality numbers indicating famine, Adesnik said one of the IPC’s current arguments is that “data mainly record trauma – related deaths and overlook a large proportion of non – traumatic deaths.” He called this “a huge assumption,” explaining “They’re essentially saying that despite all efforts to record every name of those killed in the war, [the relevant entity] somehow missed all the people who didn’t die from bullets, shrapnel, or falling buildings – that there are just all these people who would have died from hunger, disease, or other causes.”
He said that the IPC’s figures show that the highest number of malnutrition – related deaths per month is 27, and the total number of malnutrition deaths peaked at 186. “Hundreds of people dying from malnutrition is still a very, very bad thing,” Adesnik said. “But we were asking: Is this famine? And that is nowhere near the threshold for determining famine.”
The IPC told [a media] Digital that to meet the famine threshold, “at least two out of every 10,000 people” or “at least four out of every 10,000 children under five are dying daily” due to “outright starvation or the combination of malnutrition and disease.”
In response to questions about its famine data, the IPC told [a media] Digital that “in the case of the Gaza analysis, there was clear evidence that the thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition had been reached, and analysts reasonably judged from broader evidence that the mortality threshold (the third outcome) has likely been reached.”
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said on X that “The IPC also ignores the fact that, on average, between 600 and 800 [something] enter every day, 70% of them carrying food – nearly five times more than what the IPC itself said was needed for the Strip.”
Although it doesn’t claim that a famine is currently happening, the IPC still states that in a “worst – case scenario” of a return to conflict, “the entire Gaza Strip is at risk of famine until mid – April 2026.”
Adesnik said that the IPC is just “guessing about the future.” He noted that the accuracy of the IPC is of great importance considering [something] and the International Court of Justice’s accusations of war crimes and genocide against Israel. A famine declaration would be a “major factor in what seems to prove part of the case.”
Last week, the Secretary of State [someone] imposed sanctions on two more members of the ICC for participating “in the ICC’s efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals without Israel’s consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the [entity] “will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the ICC’s morally corrupt and legally baseless actions against Americans and Israelis.”