The international platform Mondoweiss has reported that the United States is deliberately undermining reports of famine in Gaza, fabricating a false dispute to obscure the ongoing genocide unfolding for the second consecutive year.

On December 23, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), a USAID-funded project, warned of a developing famine in northern Gaza. It concluded that food shortages and acute malnutrition thresholds for famine (Phase 5 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) had likely been surpassed, predicting non-trauma-related deaths to exceed famine thresholds by early 2025. The organization projected at least 2–15 deaths per day under current conditions.

However, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew challenged the report, claiming it relied on inaccurate data about Gaza's population. While FEWSNET had used varying estimates, including figures as low as 10,000–15,000 provided by UNRWA, Lew’s criticism cast doubt on the report's validity. The controversy pressured FEWSNET to retract its findings temporarily, with updates reportedly planned, though its interactive dashboard no longer displays Gaza-related data.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Lew’s dismissal of the famine warning, accusing the Biden administration of justifying Israel’s policies in Gaza. Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch denounced the debate over population figures as a political distraction from Israel’s blockade, which prevents essential supplies, including food, from reaching Palestinians.

Humanitarian organizations have highlighted Israel’s systematic obstruction of aid. Between October and mid-December, the UN attempted to send 137 relief missions to northern Gaza, but Israel rejected more than 90%. Oxfam reported that only 12 of the 34 approved aid trucks managed to deliver food or water, impeded by arbitrary Israeli restrictions.

Critics argue that starvation has become a deliberate tactic in Israel’s campaign against Gaza. Amnesty International has accused Israel of imposing life-threatening conditions to destroy the Palestinian population. This aligns with the so-called "General's Plan for Clearing Northern Gaza," authored by Israeli General Giora Eiland, which calls for the forced expulsion of residents, the sealing of the area, and targeting those who remain as military threats.

Mondoweiss concluded that disputes over humanitarian reports aim to obscure these realities and enable Israel’s continued assault on Gaza’s civilians. Amnesty International and other watchdogs assert that these actions constitute genocide, while American officials and media stand accused of complicity in concealing the crimes.