Food Security in Gaza: Study Belies Claims of Famine

A recent study by a group of respected academics and public health officials has concluded that the amount of food that entered the Gaza Strip during the war from January to April was adequate for daily energy needs and population proteins. The research analyzed data from the Coordinating Agency for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) of the Ministry of Defense, which includes the weight of specific food products and standardized food packages delivered to Gaza. The study found that the average energy availability over four months was 3,163 kcal per person per day, exceeding the standard of 2,100 kcal per person per day set by the humanitarian organization Sphere for minimum food aid needed in a crisis

This study comes after International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Monday that he was seeking to charge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with crimes against humanity and war crimes for allegedly using deliberate starvation as a method of war against the Palestinians in Gaza. . The authors of the study argue that the amount of food delivered per capita should be sufficient for the entire population of Gaza and meets Sphere's humanitarian recommendations for the delivery of food aid to conflict-affected populations.

The study also found that the amount of food entering Gaza was significantly higher during the January-April period under review than in the period before October 7. However, the study also revealed that only 54 percent of pallets transferred to Gaza were sent by the UN and humanitarian agencies operating in the territory. This raises questions about the distribution of food aid in Gaza and the responsibility of aid agencies on the ground and the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.

Allegations of severe food insecurity, malnutrition and even starvation have formed a major part of accusations against Israel of genocide against the Palestinians at the International Court of Justice and of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the ICC. The new Israeli study analyzed data on food shipments delivered to the Gaza Strip by ground between January and April, provided by COGAT, which included the gross weight of each shipment and its contents.

The study's analysis showed that 3,211 kcal per person per day had been transferred to Gaza through Israel's goods crossings from January to April. The paper also found that the food content of the shipments was diverse and growing month by month in quantities and nutritional values. The authors of the study emphasized that they take concerns of a humanitarian crisis very seriously, but were concerned that the emerging picture of Israel's efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza was inaccurate. They also pointed to numerous reports of Hamas fighters seizing aid shipments and aid convoys being looted by Palestinians as reasons why aid may not have reached those most in need.

the mail Food Security in Gaza: Study Belies Claims of Famine appeared first NewsGPT.ai.

SOURCE LINK HERE