The US envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea, on Wednesday criticised a UN-backed report that found famine is occurring in the area around Gaza city, saying it “fails the test” of impartiality and raises “significant questions” about its findings.
The UN defines famine through the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a system that sets hard thresholds for "catastrophe". An IPC report last week found the famine in Gaza city and surrounds would extend to Deir Al Balah in the centre of Gaza and Khan Younis in the south by the end of next month.
But one of the report’s key authors has a “lengthy record of bias against Israel, including openly justifying the Houthis’ terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian targets", said Ms Shea, acting US ambassador to the UN.
“By his own measure, he ought to have recused himself. Explain why the normal standards were changed for this declaration,” she said.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, identified the author as Andrew Seal, calling him “a radical anarchist who publicly accused Israel of genocide as early as October 2023".
Mr Danon called on the UN to immediately retract the “fabricated” report.
The report said famine is now affecting 500,000 people in the northern Gaza governorate. It projects the famine will expand to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the coming months, putting about two thirds of Gaza's population at the highest level of catastrophic hunger.
Throughout the war, now in its 23rd month, Israel has severely restricted humanitarian access into Gaza and at times completely cut it off. Israel says it enables aid and blames distribution problems on UN agencies.
Eden Bar Tal, director general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, told a media conference that Israel would share “evidence” of misconduct in the report’s preparation with the IPC’s donors if the organisation fails to comply “within a short time".
Somalia’s ambassador Abukar Osman told Council members the latest IPC findings had removed “any doubt” about what is happening in Gaza.
“Let us be absolutely clear, famine in Gaza is not an act, natural occurrence, caused by drought, failed harvest or sudden, catastrophic beyond human control. It's man-made, deliberately created through a siege, blockade and systematic obstruction by Israelis,” Mr Osman said.
Palestine’s envoy Riyad Mansour challenged Mr Danon’s criticism of the UN-backed famine report, urging a fact-finding mission to Gaza.
“If all these things are fabricated and cannot be trusted, go and investigate, so that we can have an agreement over the truth, and then decide what is needed,” Mr Mansour said.
“Why don't you go there and investigate the situation and take with you hundreds of journalists to report? If all of the UN reports are biased, and if the report of the IPC is not accurate, go and investigate, take journalists."
All UN Security Council members, except the US, said the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis”.
In a joint statement following the Security Council meeting, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery.
"Famine in Gaza must be stopped immediately," they said."Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay and Israel must reverse course."
