Background on Key Figures and Relevance
The Israeli government has been vehemently denying any allegations of severe consequences from its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which primarily includes the city of Gaza. This stance gained momentum following the breach of a ceasefire on March 18. The United Nations and international organizations have been raising concerns about the devastating effects of this blockade.
Ghassan Alian, the head of COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), is a crucial figure in this context. COGAT is responsible for managing Israel’s occupied territories in Palestine. Alian has been at the forefront of countering claims of humanitarian crises in Gaza, asserting that they are based on unreliable and partial sources, many affiliated with Hamas.
UN’s Famine Declaration and Israel’s Response
On this recent Friday, the United Nations introduced Gaza into phase 5 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which signifies extreme limited access to food and water, large-scale displacement, and a high mortality rate.
In response, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a message on social media stating that famine declarations in other countries, like Somalia or South Sudan, are made when the level of malnutrition reaches 30%. They argue that the UN-backed IPC in Gaza has lowered this threshold to 15%, based on unreliable data.
“They haven’t found famine, so they’ve created it,” the Israeli foreign ministry stated on social media platform X.
COGAT’s Counterarguments
The COGAT administration, responsible for managing Israel’s occupied territories in Palestine, released a statement rejecting the UN report. They claimed that the report deliberately ignored data presented to its authors and disregarded recent efforts to stabilize the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Ghassan Alian, head of COGAT, further asserted that the UN declaration was based on “partial and unreliable sources, many affiliated with Hamas,” and “ignores the facts and extensive humanitarian efforts led by the State of Israel and its international partners.”
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the UN’s famine declaration about? The United Nations introduced Gaza into phase 5 of the IPC, indicating extreme limited access to food and water, large-scale displacement, and a high mortality rate due to the ongoing blockade.
- How has Israel responded to this declaration? The Israeli government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and COGAT, has disputed the UN’s findings, claiming that the data is unreliable and that the situation does not meet the criteria for a famine declaration.
- What are COGAT’s main counterarguments? COGAT asserts that the UN report is based on unreliable and partial sources, many affiliated with Hamas. They claim the report ignores ongoing humanitarian efforts led by Israel and its international partners.
