A US government agency's dire warning about potential famine in northern Gaza has prompted an unusually strong rebuttal from US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, exposing a rare public disagreement over humanitarian assessments in the region.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) issued a report Monday night warning that "If the food supply remains cut off from North Gaza Governorate, the combination of starvation and disease would most likely push non-trauma mortality above 2 people/10,000/day between January and March, meeting the third criterion for Famine (IPC Phase 5)." In response, Ambassador Lew issued a sharp critique: "At a time when inaccurate information is causing confusion and accusations, it is irresponsible to issue a report like this."
FEWS NET, established by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and still partially funded by it, operates with support from NASA, the US Department of Agriculture, and other government agencies, as evidenced by USAID's logo on the FEWS NET website.
This institutional backdrop makes Ambassador Lew's forceful rejection of the famine warning particularly significant. "The report issued today on Gaza by FEWS NET relies on data that is outdated and inaccurate. We have worked closely with the Government of Israel and the UN to provide greater access to the North Governorate, and it is now apparent that the civilian population in that part of Gaza is in the range of 7,000-15,000, not 65,000-75,000 which is the basis of this report."
To support his position, the senior American official referenced the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) estimate of 5,000 to 9,000 Arab residents in northern Gaza, while noting that "UNRWA estimates the population is between 10,000 and 15,000."
Addressing accusations about inadequate food delivery to northern Gaza, Lew emphasized, "We work day and night with the UN and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs — which are great — and relying on inaccurate data is irresponsible," he concluded.
