Is Gaza Starving?
- Uri Pilichowski
- May 23
- 2 min read
Updated: May 24
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US is “pleased” by Israel’s decision to lift its 78-day blockade on humanitarian assistance for Gaza, but he recognizes that the small handful of trucks that have entered the Strip so far are insufficient. The blockade was part of Israel’s war in Gaza after the October 7th massacre.
Famine in Gaza accusations against Israel: Are they true?
The World Health Organization recently charged that “The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade. The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time.”
Read more: Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?
The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada issued a joint statement Monday condemning Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and calling on the Jewish state to immediately halt military action in the enclave and allow in more aid, threatening “further concrete actions in response” if Jerusalem refuses.
The three leaders — Britain’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney — called Israel’s announcement Sunday to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza “wholly inadequate” and said the country’s failure to assist the Gazan civilian population “is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.”
The accusations against Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the global responses caused the UN humanitarian chief to say that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours if lorries of aid do not reach communities in the Strip. Speaking to the BBC's Radio 4 Today program, Tom Fletcher said thousands of trucks of aid were "ready to go," adding that the lorries contained "baby food and nutrition."
This startling claim of 14,000 babies in Gaza facing imminent death within a 48-hour window was officially corrected and admitted to be a massive exaggeration by United Nations officials, who clarified that this figure represents children at risk over an entire year. The correction was made long after the alarming statement had already reverberated through media outlets, parliamentary debates, and international diplomatic channels, potentially influencing policy decisions, including the UK's suspension of trade talks with Israel.
Israel begins resending aid to Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces announced that 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the UN and the international community, including flour, baby food, and medical equipment, were transferred through the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza.
The IDF stated that it would continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip while making every effort to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of Hamas.
Uri Pilichowski is an author, speaker, and senior educator at institutions around the world.