No, the UNRWA chief didn't say there was no famine in Gaza

[ad_1] The Israeli ministry of international affairs claimed in a video revealed on X on October 12 that Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN company for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, had "admitted" that there was no famine within the Gaza Strip.

The video purports to disclaim the famine that has been gripping the enclave since Israel imposed a humanitarian help blockade, partially eased in late Might.

In keeping with Israel’s international ministry, Lazzarini made the next assertion after the ceasefire was introduced final Thursday: “Now we have sufficient meals for the whole inhabitants for the following three months.” That is being interpreted as an admission proving that Gaza's meals provide was by no means actually inadequate.

The publish then claims that “the one actual starvation is that of the hostages”.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/b06f1aac-a84c-11f0-aaa4-005056a90284/w:980/image1-68.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/b06f1aac-a84c-11f0-aaa4-005056a90284/w:246/image1-68.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b06f1aac-a84c-11f0-aaa4-005056a90284/w:388/image1-68.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b06f1aac-a84c-11f0-aaa4-005056a90284/w:720/image1-68.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/b06f1aac-a84c-11f0-aaa4-005056a90284/w:980/image1-68.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="When the UNRWA chief mentions a sufficient quantity of food to feed Gaza's population, he is referring to a stock situated outside the enclave and thus not yet available to Gazans." style="max-height:472px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> When the UNRWA chief mentions a adequate amount of meals to feed Gaza's inhabitants, he's referring to a inventory located exterior the enclave and thus not but out there to Gazans. © X

‘Misrepresented’ quote, says UNRWA Nevertheless, the video launched by the Israeli international ministry misleadingly edited an announcement Lazzarini issued following the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The whole quote will be discovered on UNRWA’s web site: “UNRWA has meals, medicines and different primary provides able to go to Gaza. Now we have sufficient to supply meals for the whole inhabitants for the approaching three months."

When Lazzarini mentions three months' value of meals provides, he's referring to the meals help languishing exterior the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA instructed our group:

“This quote has been fully misrepresented. The UNRWA Commissioner-Common was referring to UNRWA provides presently caught exterior Gaza, that might refill hundreds of vans, and saying that UNRWA has meals, medication and different primary provides able to go to Gaza."

UNRWA confirms that help blocked exterior Gaza is adequate to feed the whole inhabitants for the following three months. The company, nonetheless, underscored the Israeli authorities's accountability in blocking it:

“UNRWA has been banned by the Israeli authorities from bringing any help, together with meals, into Gaza for over seven months now (since March 2, 2025). The UNRWA Commissioner-Common was interesting for this ban to be lifted in order that UNRWA can deliver within the lifesaving provides that folks in Gaza desperately want, together with to stem the famine that was confirmed by the IPC [Editor’s note: the UN-backed hunger monitor] in August."

Famine already denied by Israeli authorities On August 22, the UN formally declared a famine within the Gaza governorate based mostly on a report from the IPC. Israeli authorities instantly disputed the report's findings, falsely alleging that the company had lowered the thresholds for measuring malnutrition in its Gaza famine evaluation.

A median of 146 humanitarian help vans entered the enclave every day in September, in response to COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry physique that oversees civil affairs within the Palestinian territories. Humanitarian organisations estimate that 500 to 600 vans are wanted each day. Final Wednesday, COGAT said that 300 vans had been now reaching the Gaza Strip every day.