UN-backed nutrition survey challenges claims Israel starved Gaza, ambassador calls them false

Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, responded to longstanding accusations of deliberate starvation by pointing to a UN-backed nutrition assessment that shows acute malnutrition among Gaza's under-five children is between 0.2% and 0.8% by weight-for-height and 1.3% by mid-upper-arm circumference, rates at or below those recorded before the conflict. He described earlier claims, including a 2025 statement by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, as fabricated and driven by Hamas-provided figures.

Danon emphasized Israel's ability to track food deliveries through controlled checkpoints, asserting that sufficient supplies have entered the enclave. The Gaza SMART survey, coordinated by the UNICEF Nutrition Cluster and presented by the State of Palestine Nutrition Cluster, sampled 1,335 children, covering roughly 83% of Gaza's residents, while security issues prevented data collection for the remaining 17%. He also accused Hamas of selling aid on the black market and urged collaboration with NGOs free of Hamas influence. Danon concluded that market prices have fallen, indicating an improving food situation.