UN: 96% of Gaza Facing Acute Food Insecurity, Notes 'Slight Improvement'

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Facts

• The UN said on Tuesday that 96% of Gaza's approximate 2.15M people 'face acute food insecurity,' though the report noted that there has been a 'slight improvement' in northern Gaza, where potential famine had been anticipated at the end of May.¹
• The report said that, because the amount of food entering the strip increased in recent months, it 'does not indicate that famine is currently occurring,” though the report still warned that there is still “a high and sustained risk of Famine across the whole Gaza Strip.”²
• The UN also said that a 'high risk of Famine persists as long as the conflict continues, and humanitarian access is restricted,' adding that Israel's Rafah offensive threatened to “rapidly reverse” improvements seen in April. It also called for a 'permanent and immediate' cease-fire.³
• Senior UN officials reportedly told Israel that aid operations across Gaza will be suspended unless urgent steps are taken to better protect humanitarian workers. Negotiations are ongoing, however, and no final decision has been made.⁴
• Senior UN officials reportedly told Israel that aid operations across Gaza will be suspended unless urgent steps are taken to better protect humanitarian workers. Negotiations are ongoing, however, and no final decision has been made.⁵
• Fighting in Gaza continued on Tuesday, with Hamas announcing that an Israeli strike killed the sister of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh alongside nine other civilians in the Shati refugee camp. The Israeli military said that it had targeted Hamas fighters and had made efforts to avoid civilian casualties.⁶
• Separately, the Guardian released a report alleging that Israel had purposefully targeted journalists affiliated with Hamas. A senior Israeli military spokesperson said that there was “no difference” between working for Hamas-affiliated media and belonging to its armed wing.⁷

Sources: ¹UN News, ²Timesofisrael, ³The Telegraph, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵ABC News, ⁶Jerusalem Post and ⁷Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. The UN and other Hamas enablers claim that Israel was purposefully causing a famine in Gaza, but it's clear that no such famine ever happened. Recent studies have found that there is more than enough food entering Gaza, yet international organizations ignore this to perpetuate false narratives. Of course, distribution is a problem, but that is because Hamas keeps attacking aid convoys to steal food for itself. Indeed, the problem, like it has been since day one, is Hamas and its enablers.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. The hunger crisis in Gaza peaked in March, which is why international organizations said that famine was imminent. Under mounting international pressure and criticism for the siege it imposed on Gaza, Israel “slightly” improved food access, decreasing the risk of a full-on famine. However, starvation is still widespread, and the risk of famine hasn't subsided. Though food is entering the strip, it is nearly impossible to distribute because Israel has systematically targeted aid workers and created a state of utter insecurity.