Israeli institutions and official figures have consistently denied the existence of famine and acute food shortages in the Gaza Strip\u2014a position echoed by the Hebrew media, which either ignored or downplayed reports from international organizations and global outlets confirming the worsening humanitarian conditions and widespread hunger among civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in early August 2025, Hamas\u2019s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video of Israeli captive Avitar David, in which he appeared emaciated and showing clear signs of starvation. The footage raised the question: Has Israel\u2019s narrative on famine in Gaza shifted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s official stance, prior to the release of the video, was an absolute denial of famine or a food crisis in Gaza. Authorities insisted that humanitarian aid flowed \u201cin sufficient and regular quantities\u201d and blamed Hamas for allegedly seizing and hoarding the aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the highest level, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> dismissed claims that Israel was carrying out a \u201cstarvation campaign in Gaza\u201d as a \u201cbold lie.\u201d He insisted that Israel had continuously allowed humanitarian aid to enter during the war, and argued that Hamas was solely responsible for obstructing its distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Abdullah Halabi<\/a>, head of the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, asserted that the amount of aid entering the Strip \u201cmeets and even exceeds international standards,\u201d describing reports of starvation as \u201ca propaganda campaign run by Hamas to undermine Israel\u2019s humanitarian efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Far-right Knesset member Almog Cohen<\/a> bluntly stated: \u201cI have no sympathy for the children in Gaza, and they don\u2019t matter to me at all.\u201d He called reports of children dying from hunger \u201ca big lie,\u201d claiming Israel was sending \u201cmassive amounts of food\u201d into Gaza. He dismissed such reports as \u201ca Bollywood-style propaganda industry, shamelessly fabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hebrew media largely adopted the official narrative. For instance, Channel 14 <\/a>aired images shared by Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee, portraying Hamas fighters \u201ceating heartily in tunnels,\u201d as supposed proof against the famine claims. In a July 31, 2025 report, the channel labeled these as \u201cdocuments refuting the famine lie in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Ynet <\/a>repeated the army\u2019s line on 22 July 2025, claiming Hamas fabricated videos about famine and insisting that children in Gaza were suffering from illnesses unrelated to malnutrition. While the outlet briefly acknowledged international media reports about Israeli forces firing on Gazans seeking humanitarian aid, it framed these references as unreliable by stressing they relied on \u201cthe Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, Haaretz <\/a>published a sharply worded editorial on 24 July 2025, titled \u201cIsrael is Starving Gaza.\u201d<\/em> The piece cited Gaza\u2019s Ministry of Health, which reported 111 deaths from malnutrition since the start of the war\u2014most of them children, including 43 in a single week\u2014as well as UN data showing rates of severe acute malnutrition among children rising from 2.4% in February to 8.8% by mid-July. The editorial described starvation as a \u201cnew phase of inhuman cruelty\u201d and a \u201cwar crime and a crime against humanity,\u201d calling for the immediate opening of crossings to food and medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The video of Avitar David marked a turning point. Israel\u2019s discourse shifted from outright denial of famine in Gaza to a partial acknowledgment\u2014but one limited strictly to its own captives. The government accused Hamas of starving Israeli prisoners, while continuing to deny famine among Palestinian civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recording triggered a visible split within Israel. Some commentators maintained the denial, while others conceded the famine\u2019s existence. Channel 13 correspondent Moriah Asraf<\/a> tweeted on 1 August 2025, that the video revealed \u201cwhat real hunger looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an 5 August 2025 op-ed for Ynet<\/a>, journalist Daniela London Dekel likened the famine debate to \u201cSchr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat\u201d\u2014existing and not existing at the same time, depending on perspective. She argued that Israeli responses to famine reports fall into three camps: shock, denial, or \u201clet them die.\u201d She warned that collective punishment is neither moral nor strategically useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaks from Channel 12 revealed internal directives to avoid coverage of Gaza\u2019s hunger, while AI-generated content was reportedly being used to produce misleading narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Political analyst Amit Segal epitomized this contradiction. On 24 July 2025, <\/a>he warned Gaza might be heading toward a \u201creal hunger crisis,\u201d citing dramatic wartime price spikes. Yet after the video\u2019s release, on 1 August, he reversed his position, claiming: \u201cThe first person from Gaza truly documented as starving is an Israeli captive,\u201d accusing Hamas of starving its prisoners<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others, such as journalist Yinon Magal and MK Oded Forer, echoed this narrative\u2014asserting that hunger exists only for Israeli captives, not Gazans, and blaming Hamas for hoarding aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, international organizations continued to sound the alarm. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)<\/a> described the surpassing of 100 child deaths from malnutrition in Gaza as a \u201ccatastrophic milestone staining the conscience of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n UN spokesperson Farhan Haq<\/a> warned on August 8, 2025, that acute malnutrition rates among Gaza\u2019s children had reached \u201cunprecedented levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAfter the Recording of Avitar David<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Reality on the Ground<\/h4>\n\n\n\n