Here’s What to Know About Gazan Starvation
- Ofek Kehila
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 26
In response to Hamas’s figures of Palestinians that the terror group says died of starvation in Gaza, Israeli authorities warn of an orchestrated campaign of disinformation.
Why this matters
Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the Gaza war has been raging for almost two years.
With negotiations at a standstill, Hamas aims to increase pressure on Israel through claims of mass starvation in Gaza, which Israeli officials deny.
While the debate over starvation in Gaza continues to unfold, the war continues to claim more victims and cause more suffering.
Gazan starvation
In July 2025, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported over 130 deaths due to starvation. In response, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said that Hamas is inflating this death toll as part of an orchestrated campaign to discredit the state of Israel and achieve political gains.
An investigation by The Free Press reveals that several Gazans who have turned into symbols of starvation during the war actually suffer from serious preexisting health problems. “It’s not that there isn’t hunger in Gaza. There is… But those photos have helped convince a growing number of Americans that Israel has induced famine and is committing war crimes in Gaza.”
A widow living in Gaza has cast doubts on Hamas’s credibility when she told the BBC about her Hamas-affiliated neighbors receiving food parcels and sacks of flour while she and her children were starving.
While Israeli authorities state that there are no signs of mass malnutrition in Gaza, others differ in opinion. For example, a recent alert issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification stresses that “famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.”
The starvation debate unfolds between official authorities, agencies and organizations, the media, and even heads of state and government. In a recent phone call, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump argued over the situation in Gaza. Even though Netanyahu assured that there is no starvation in Gaza, Trump was far from convinced. According to NBC News, the heated discussion devolved into shouting.
Wrap up
Since the Gaza Strip is an active conflict zone, it is hard to determine whether the claims of death due to starvation are justified or even to assess the exact severity of the situation. What is certain is that while the debates continue to unfold, and with negotiations at a standstill, the war continues to claim more victims and cause more suffering. With a possible conquest of Gaza City on the horizon, things are expected to get worse before they improve.
Ofek Kehila (Israel, 1987) is a scholar of Spanish Golden Age literature and Latin American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. His research bridges the gap between those traditions, highlighting their aesthetic, cultural, and historical dialogue. He holds a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2022) and was a postdoctoral fellow at Freie Universität Berlin (2023-2025).