Gaza Health Ministry Data Contradicts Famine Claims
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
Gaza's Health Ministry reported 5,780 non-war-related deaths in 2025, similar to pre-war figures, challenging claims of mass starvation. Malnutrition accounted for only 0.7% of deaths, contradicting earlier ministry statements and UN famine declarations. Critics question the methodology used by the UN's IPC to declare famine, citing unreliable data and potential manipulation. The article suggests that even Hamas's own data undermines the widespread narrative of mass starvation in Gaza.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Gaza's Health Ministry reported 5,780 non-war-related deaths in 2025, similar to pre-war levels.
- Malnutrition and metabolic disorders accounted for only 0.7% of deaths in Gaza in 2025.
- The report contradicts earlier claims by the same ministry alleging widespread starvation deaths.
- Critics question the UN's IPC methodology for declaring famine in Gaza, citing unreliable data.
- The article suggests that even Hamas's own data undermines the mass starvation narrative.
A report released by Gaza's Hamas-controlled Health Ministry for 2025 indicates that the number of non-war-related deaths did not significantly increase compared to pre-war figures, challenging widespread claims of mass starvation. The report documented 24,650 deaths in 2025, with 17,286 directly linked to the war. Non-violent deaths totaled 5,780, a figure comparable to the 5,867 non-violent deaths reported in 2022, before the conflict.
The data suggests a consistent mortality rate of 2.7 per 1,000 Gazans from diseases, irrespective of the war. Causes of death listed after war-related fatalities include heart disease (7.7%) and cancer (1.5%). Malnutrition and metabolic disorders accounted for only 0.7% of deaths in 2025, a percentage similar to pre-war years, including for infants under one year old.
This contradicts earlier claims made by the same ministry in August 2025, which alleged hundreds of thousands of deaths from malnutrition and hundreds of deaths from starvation between January and August 2025. These earlier figures have seemingly disappeared from the latest comprehensive mortality report.
The article also scrutinizes the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) methodology, which declared a famine in Gaza's Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates in August 2025. Critics, including Israeli researchers, argue that the IPC relied on questionable data, such as arm circumference measurements, and potentially manipulated survey dates to meet famine criteria. The standard definition of famine requires specific thresholds for food insecurity, acute child malnutrition, and daily deaths, which the article contends were not met based on the available evidence and the later Health Ministry report.
Despite the new data, many international figures and media outlets previously amplified famine narratives. The article notes that prominent individuals and organizations, including the UN Secretary-General and various media outlets, made strong pronouncements about mass starvation and impending catastrophe, often without sufficient supporting evidence or by relying on questionable metrics. The article concludes that even Hamas's own data undermines the 'mass starvation' narrative, though it acknowledges the existence of a food crisis and difficulties in accessing food in certain areas.
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