UN walks back wild Gaza starvation claim: 14,000 children not at immediate risk

The claim that 14,000 Gazan children are at immediate risk of dying within the next 48 hours is false, according to a report today (Tuesday) by the BBC.

UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher claimed that 14,000 Gazan children are days away from starving to death due to lack of humanitarian aid, a claim that was widely and very rapidly echoed in other mainstream media outlets, including in the United States. NBC even published an article with a skeletal-looking child to get the point across.

However, when the BBC asked to know where this figure came from, they ran into either hedging or pointing to a report saying that 14,000 children are at risk of serious malnutrition over the course of the next year, with an emphasis on "could."

The initial claim sparked widespread attention, as 14,000 is roughly a quarter of the reported Gaza death toll over the 18-month conflict. A UNOCHA spokesman later avoided repeating the figure but warned that babies in “urgent life-saving need” of nutritional supplements face “mortal danger” without them.

Fletcher also criticized Israel’s new aid strategy, which involves directing Gazans to a Hamas-free zone in southern Gaza for aid distribution, calling it a “dodgy modality.” He argued the previous aid delivery system “works perfectly well” and that adopting Israel’s approach would align with military objectives. “We’ve got to get the aid in ourselves,” he insisted.

When pressed about his recent use of the term “genocide” regarding Gaza, Fletcher defended his choice, saying, “I weighed with great thought and care what I should say to jolt the international community.”

On Monday, Fletcher described the limited aid entering Gaza as “a drop in the ocean.” However, the UN later confirmed Israel approved 100 additional aid trucks, with 93 inspected by the IDF, carrying flour, baby food, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. Israel resumed allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza on May 18, following a two-and-a-half-month suspension after the first phase of a ceasefire ended on March 1.

JPost contributed to this article.