The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on Friday issued a sharp rebuttal to the IPC food security analysis report on Gaza, rejecting what it described as biased and predetermined conclusions that ignore data on humanitarian aid deliveries.
According to COGAT, the report’s authors formally acknowledged that there is no famine in Gaza, despite previously making what COGAT termed false claims, while still asserting a situation of acute food insecurity.
In an official response, COGAT stated: "COGAT strongly rejects the claims and conclusions presented in the IPC report published today (Friday), which once again portrays a distorted, biased, and unfounded picture of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The report relies on severe gaps in data collection and on sources that do not reflect the full scope of humanitarian assistance. As such, it misleads the international community, fuels disinformation, and presents a false depiction of the reality on the ground."
COGAT emphasized that "between 600-800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, approximately 70 percent of which carry food," adding that this is "in accordance with Israel’s commitment under the ceasefire agreement to allow and facilitate the entry of 4,200 aid trucks per week." The statement added: "Nearly 30,000 food trucks carrying more than 500,000 tons of food entered the Gaza Strip throughout the ceasefire period," and noted that "approximately 100,000 food trucks entered the Gaza Strip until the start of the ceasefire." According to COGAT, "these quantities significantly exceed the nutritional requirements of the population in the Gaza Strip according to accepted international methodologies, including those of the UN World Food Programme (WFP)."
The response stated that the data are "presented daily as part of joint situational assessments to the mediators, the UN, and international organizations," adding that "any attempt to present the data otherwise or to claim a shortage of food constitutes a deliberate distortion of the facts."
COGAT further clarified that "only about 20 percent of the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is delivered via the UN, while the remainder is delivered by countries, additional international organizations, and the private sector," saying this "illustrates the severe gap between the actual volume of aid and the partial data on which, among other things, the IPC report relies."
Addressing the report’s preparation, COGAT stated: "The manner in which the IPC conducted itself during the preparation of the report raises serious questions regarding its credibility and professional integrity." It added that the report’s authors met with Israeli officials "only after the report had already been written and its conclusions formulated," and that despite being presented with "complete, daily, and verified data," the IPC "chose to present a series of excuses regarding the use of the data and relied only partially on the information provided."
COGAT concluded: "The publication of statements and warnings that are not based on complete and verified data does not advance the humanitarian response. Instead, it harms it and diverts the discussion from the real challenge - improving collection and distribution mechanisms within the Gaza Strip and preventing Hamas from taking control of the aid." The statement added that the international community must "avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information," and that COGAT "will continue to act, together with international actors and regional partners, to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its transfer to the civilian population, while preventing the exploitation of the aid by the terrorist organization Hamas."