A startling claim that 14,000 babies in Gaza faced imminent death within a 48-hour window has been officially corrected by United Nations officials, who clarified that this figure actually represents children at risk over an entire year – long after the alarming statement had already reverberated through media outlets, parliamentary debates, and international diplomatic channels, potentially influencing policy decisions including the UK's suspension of trade talks with Israel.
The United Nations has issued a correction regarding a widely circulated claim that 14,000 babies in Gaza faced death within 48 hours, clarifying that this figure actually represents potential deaths from malnutrition over the course of a full year.
The erroneous statement, which first aired on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and subsequently spread across national media outlets and even reached parliamentary discussions, was later identified by the Jewish Chronicle as a misinterpretation of a humanitarian assessment projecting malnutrition cases in children aged six months to five years throughout a 12-month timeframe.
Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, originally stated on BBC Radio 4's Today program "There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them." Fletcher mentioned the presence of "strong teams on the ground" working in medical facilities and schools, though the Jewish Chronicle reports he provided no additional specifics about these operations.
The Jewish Chronicle reported Fletcher characterized the arrival of trucks this week as "a drop in the ocean," adding that the humanitarian supplies had not yet reached civilians in need. However, upon examination of the actual Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Partnership report, the Jewish Chronicle found that the 14,000 figure referred to children at risk of "severe malnutrition" by March 2025, not by the end of this week as initially suggested.
Later that same day, the Jewish Chronicle noted that BBC News published a correction to Fletcher's assertion, buried within an article discussing how Gaza aid was failing to reach the population. A separate UN representative also declined to repeat the original claim and offered a correction during a press briefing, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
When asked for clarification, the Jewish Chronicle reports that Fletcher's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) provided this statement: "We are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies in to save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza. We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours." The Jewish Chronicle points out that the IPC report distinguishes between severe and acute malnutrition, with the 14,000 figure specifically referring to the former category.
By the time this correction emerged, the Jewish Chronicle found that the inaccurate claim had already spread extensively through UK and global media channels and was cited as factual by nine Members of Parliament during a House of Commons debate the previous day.
This correction comes amid intensifying international pressure on Israel to increase humanitarian aid flow into Gaza as Israeli military operations against Hamas escalate, alongside widespread warnings about hunger conditions in the region, the Jewish Chronicle reports.
The Jewish Chronicle reveals that the United Kingdom announced Monday it would suspend trade negotiations with Israel over what it termed "morally unjustifiable" escalation in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Israel's actions as "monstrous" and stated: "We have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement."
Lammy further explained that the UK is reviewing its cooperation with the Israeli administration, saying, "The Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary," according to reporting by the Jewish Chronicle.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament that the "horrific situation in Gaza" is "utterly intolerable," adding, "We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve," the Jewish Chronicle reports. The government also summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely to the Foreign Office.
The Jewish Chronicle notes that the European Union is taking similar measures, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announcing a review of an EU-Israel trade agreement in response to the situation in Gaza. Kallas told reporters, "The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately without obstruction and at scale."
According to the Jewish Chronicle, approximately 93 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies – including flour, baby food, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical drugs – were permitted to enter Gaza on Tuesday.
Israeli officials have denied allegations of food shortages in Gaza and insisted that instances of starvation result from Hamas withholding supplies from civilian populations, not from Israeli actions.
