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Starvation in Gaza? The Truth Behind the Headlines

Trucks carrying aid move, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hussam Al-Masri

“Gaza edges closer to famine as Israel’s total blockade nears its third month” (CNN, May 1, 2025).

“Starvation looms as Israel’s total blockade on Gaza enters its third month” (NBC News, May 4, 2025).

“Israel is starving us in Gaza. This is what that feels like” (The Guardian, May 6, 2025).

Once again, various media headlines and NGO press releases are teeming with the news that Gaza is on the brink of famine and mass starvation. In many cases, these forecasts of doom are laying the blame squarely at the feet of Israel and its two-month-old blockade of the coastal enclave.

But is this accurate? Is Israel’s ongoing blockade about to cause a mass famine across the Gaza Strip?

The answer is more complex and nuanced than the sensationalist media headlines would have us believe.

When reading news stories about the alleged ongoing food crisis in Gaza, it’s important to bear in mind that:

  • Enough aid entered the Gaza Strip during the second ceasefire in early 2025 to keep Gaza’s two million residents nourished for at least 5 to 6 months.
  • The inequality in the distribution of food among the people of Gaza is due to a variety of complicating factors on the ground, including the hijacking of free food aid by Hamas and the exploitation of it for profit.
  • The Israeli leadership is currently devising plans to restart the distribution of food to Gaza’s Palestinians without it falling into the hands of Hamas.
  • Throughout the war, there have been several claims that a famine caused by Israeli restrictions on aid was imminent. However, none of these famines have ever occurred as forecasted.
  • The rate of malnutrition among children in Gaza is roughly equal to the rate of malnutrition that existed prior to the start of the war.

Markets, Restaurants & Food Lines: The Food Aid Situation in Gaza

Following a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in January and February 2025, Israel imposed a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, hoping to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages and accepting more favorable conditions for a renewed ceasefire.

Under this blockade, no aid and materials (including food) are allowed to enter the embattled Strip.

However, in the six weeks between the beginning of the ceasefire and the imposition of the blockade, Israel facilitated the delivery of 338,676 tons of food into Gaza.

According to the World Food Programme’s estimate, this amount of food would be enough to sustain all 2 million residents of Gaza for between 5 to 6 months, while, according to the UN’s estimate, this amount should last the people of Gaza between 6 to 8 months.

Now, less than four months since the beginning of the ceasefire, it is clear that there should still be ample supplies of food available across the Gaza Strip.

If so, what accounts for the disturbing images of Palestinian civilians waiting in long food lines?

According to Times of Israel journalist Lazar Berman, the existence of long and chaotic food lines alongside images of Gazans patronizing markets and restaurants (which have yet to receive the attention of the mainstream media) likely points to an imbalance in the distribution of aid within the Strip. While some areas have adequate access to food, other areas either have little access to food or only have food available at inflated and restrictive prices.

One of the main factors contributing to this discrepancy in access to food aid is Hamas itself, which has commandeered a significant amount of this free food aid, either to hoard it or to sell it at inflated prices and to fill its coffers with the profits.

Malnutrition in Children

Alongside stories and images of long food lines, another aspect of the alleged food crisis in Gaza that has received a considerable amount of attention from the media is malnutrition among local children.

In the first half of April 2025, 32,000 children were screened for acute malnutrition. Of those screened, 984 were diagnosed with severe or moderate malnutrition.

While any level of malnutrition among children is lamentable, analyst Mark Zlochin has noted that this level of malnutrition among children (3%) is actually slightly lower than the rate that existed in Gaza prior to the war.

As part of the media’s focus on malnutrition in children, news outlets will focus on certain examples to provide a human face to this issue.

However, in many cases, the children represented in these stories suffer from pre-existing conditions that can contribute to their ill state. For example, NBC News, CBC News, and CNN all profiled Osama Al-Raqab, a 6-year-old Gazan boy diagnosed with malnutrition. Unlike the description of him as having been “full of life” and “once-healthy,” Osama suffers from cystic fibrosis, a disorder that can lead to malnutrition in even the best circumstances. To blame Osama’s condition on Israel’s blockade is both misleading and manipulative.

In sum, while many media organizations and NGOs seek to portray Israel’s two-month-long blockade of Gaza as the sole cause of impending famine and mass starvation in the region, the reality is much more complex.

It’s time the media acknowledge the complexity, and — above all — stop falling for the Hamas narrative of a non-existent famine in Gaza.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

The post Starvation in Gaza? The Truth Behind the Headlines first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft

The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.

Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.

With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.

“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”

The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.

“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March

With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”

Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.

The post Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS

Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.

Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.

The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements

A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.

“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.

The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”

Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.

The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.

“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”

“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”

Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.

“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.

Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.

“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.

The post Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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