The United States government pressured the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS), a food security monitoring organisation funded by USAID, to retract its warning of imminent famine in northern Gaza, officials in Washington told the Associated Press (AP).
The now-withdrawn report by FEWS warned that northern Gaza faced famine under Israel’s near-total blockade and projected starvation-related deaths would exceed the internationally recognised famine threshold of two deaths per 10,000 people per day between January and March. The group estimated between 2 and 15 deaths daily due to starvation, asserting its findings were accurate even for a population as low as 10,000 people.
US Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew dismissed the report as inaccurate and irresponsible, arguing it failed to account for rapidly changing conditions. USAID confirmed it requested the report’s retraction, citing technical concerns and a need for further engagement.
The intervention has sparked a backlash from aid and human rights experts. Scott Paul of Oxfam America criticised the US for using political power to undermine the work of this expert agency, while Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, accused USAID of allowing politics to influence assessments of what he called Israel’s starvation strategy.
The United Nations and aid agencies have reported that Israel continues to block almost all humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite Israeli assertions that no restrictions are in place. The independent Famine Review Committee recently warned of a “strong likelihood” of imminent famine in northern Gaza.
FEWS, established in the 1980s to provide independent and neutral hunger crisis assessments, confirmed it withdrew the report and plans to reissue an updated version in January.
The Biden administration has faced growing criticism for its support of Israel amid allegations of genocide in Gaza. Several US officials have resigned in protest over the administration’s policy, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is facing a federal lawsuit accusing him of violating US laws that prohibit military aid to security forces involved in gross human rights abuses.
