On the common argument that "Israel is using starvation as a means of committing genocide"
While there have been periods where Israel has restricted the amount of aid entering Gaza, they have still facilitated [over 1.8 million tons](https://www.jns.org/1-8-million-tons-of-supplies-delivered-to-gaza-since-war-began/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) of aid since the start of the war.
The reason aid flows have varied significantly is due to Israel being influenced by ceasefire negotiations, various military operations, shifting border policies and logistical constraints.
Currently the only part of Gaza where famine has been declared is in [Gaza City](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckgj0yn3dzjt), a 45 km² stretch of land ([note that the Gaza Strip is 365 km² in its entirety](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/INTERACTIVE-How-Big-is-Gaza.png?w=770&resize=770%2C770)) in Northern Gaza that is [outside of the designated humanitarian zones](https://www.ifpri.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gaza_map-767x1024.png), where it remains a major combat zone due to Hamas still retaining control over significant areas - especially civilian populated neighborhoods. Israel has just launched [Operation Gideon’s Chariots II](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-864732) four days ago to advance into this area.
A famine is classified using the [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification \(IPC\)](https://www.ipcinfo.org/famine-facts/) when at least 20% of households face extreme food insecurity, acute malnutrition in children exceeds 30%, and the death rate surpasses two people per 10,000 per day due to starvation or related causes. With Gaza's population of over 2 million, this would mean at least 400 dead each day for it to be classed as a famine in the whole strip. In almost 2 years of fighting, the estimated number of dead due to starvation is currently 281 - just over half the number required *per day* to declare a famine.
For a famine to be declared by the IPC in Gaza City independent media investigations show that the [IPC lowered the malnutrition threshold from 30% to 15%](https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/un-backed-famine-watchdog-secretly-changed-criteria-in-order-to-declare-famine-in-gaza/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) and shifted its measurement method from the standard weight‑and‑height indicators to the less precise mid‑upper arm circumference (MUAC) metric, as mentioned in the footnotes of the report. They also withdrew the death toll requirement mentioned above.
The reason this was done was due to an assumption that the number of those dead from starvation is vastly higher than reported, however recent [scientific studies done on this](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.19.25329797v3.full) that take into account non-violent deaths alongside the Gaza Ministry of Health's reliability while using the same capture-recapture method used by others such as in the often quoted [Lancet study](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736\(24\)02678-3/fulltext) do not reflect this, as the vast majority of estimated deaths (84,000 as of June according to the publication referenced prior) are from violence, as opposed to starvation, dehydration or disease.
So, just to summarise:
* Israel has in fact facilitated large amounts of aid into Gaza * Where Israel retains some level of control, famine has not been declared * Famine has only been declared in a localised area where Israel lacks control, and where Hamas still retains de facto governance and control * The IPC changed the metrics in order to declare famine in this localised area * This declaration is now being used to claim that there is famine in Gaza to apply political pressure on Israel while playing into the narrative that *all* of Gaza is starving by means of misleading language
Therefore, the presence of famine can be explained as a distribution problem due to Hamas's continued actions and refusal to surrender, whereby they are intentionally misappropriating humanitarian aid while allowing the people who they still hold control over to starve in order to apply political pressure ([AKA lawfare](https://ngo-monitor.org/key-issues/lawfare-international-law-and-human-rights/about/)) on Israel, meanwhile international organisations such as the IPC have been influenced by politicisation through which they have applied an eased methodology with little transparency of doing so.
**EDIT: 273 comments and 2 days later, yet not a single person has challenged anything I wrote. Just insults being thrown with practically every rule broken multiple times.**
Let me make some things clear:
* To those who think I am justifying or denying that there is starvation - nothing in my post suggests this. * To those who think I am in approval of Israel's conduct - nothing in my post suggests this. * To those who think that I am saying that the amount of aid entering Gaza is sufficient - nothing in my post suggests this.
My post is about the declaration of famine and genocide. Nothing else.
> “Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
If anyone would like to debate me specifically about whether Israel's overall intent is genocide, feel free to check out my other post - I am always up for a discussion or debate: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsraelPalestine/comments/1j9mqg6/convince_me_that_israel_is_committing_a_genocide/