Israel calls on UN to withdraw Gaza famine report

The Israeli government on Wednesday called on the United Nations to withdraw its latest report warning of an imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, claiming the report was biased and inaccurate, according to Hebrew media reports.

The demand came after a UN early warning report on famine said that humanitarian conditions in Gaza were worsening, with hundreds of thousands of residents at risk of severe hunger due to ongoing military operations and the blockade imposed on the territory.

Earlier, the United Nations officially declared a state of famine in Gaza City, the first such declaration in the Middle East, amid direct accusations that Israel is obstructing the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said during a press briefing in Geneva: “The famine in Gaza should trouble us all,” stressing that it was entirely preventable if the UN had not been systematically blocked from delivering food aid, according to Reuters.

Fletcher, as reported by Reuters, criticised and warned the international community: “Aid is piling up at the crossings because of deliberate Israeli obstacles. What is happening is a moment of collective shame,” calling on the international community not to remain silent in the face of this worsening humanitarian disaster.

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