The Manufactured Famine: Hamas’s Propaganda War Against Israel
Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, a relentless narrative has gripped international media, humanitarian organizations, and UN agencies: Israel is intentionally starving Gaza. Headlines, reports, and viral images depict a population on the brink of famine, a humanitarian catastrophe orchestrated by Israel. However, a closer examination reveals a meticulously crafted deception, a weaponization of suffering orchestrated by Hamas and amplified by its accomplices. This manufactured famine narrative serves as a potent tool in Hamas’s propaganda war, deflecting blame, garnering international sympathy, and shielding the terrorist group from accountability.
A Timeline of Disproven Predictions: The “famine” narrative began with dire pronouncements from UN agencies, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Starting in late 2023, these organizations issued escalating warnings, culminating in claims of “imminent famine” and hundreds of thousands of Gazans in IPC Phase 5, the classification for famine. The IPC’s criteria for Phase 5 include acute malnutrition in one-third of children and two daily deaths per 10,000 inhabitants due to starvation. These alarming predictions translated into forecasts of dozens of daily famine deaths in Gaza. Yet, these projections never materialized. Hamas’s own Ministry of Health reported a total of 32 malnutrition deaths between October 2023 and June 2024. Further investigation revealed that even these deaths were primarily attributed to infections, not starvation. Despite the glaring discrepancy between predictions and reality, the famine narrative persisted.
The Data Debunks the Narrative: The reality is that substantial amounts of food aid have continuously flowed into Gaza. The World Food Programme estimates Gaza’s monthly food requirement at 62,000 metric tons. Data from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, shows that food aid consistently exceeded this threshold. From March to December 2024, over 788,000 tons entered Gaza, averaging significantly more than the required amount. In early 2025, aid shipments surged, providing enough food for months. Despite these verifiable figures, the famine narrative remained unfazed. Even brief interruptions in aid flow triggered renewed claims of impending starvation, ignoring the substantial food reserves already within Gaza.
Hamas: The Architect of Hunger: The abundance of food aid raises a critical question: why does hunger persist in Gaza? The answer lies with Hamas, which has systematically weaponized humanitarian aid. Documented reports, including videos and testimonies from Gazans, confirm that Hamas intercepts, diverts, and resells aid for profit. Civilians report aid being sold at inflated prices or distributed solely to Hamas loyalists. The UN itself acknowledges that a vast majority of its aid was intercepted before reaching intended recipients. Hamas’s motivation is clear: profiting from stolen aid while maintaining a facade of scarcity to fuel international condemnation of Israel.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: A Threat to Hamas’s Control: Established in late May 2025, the American-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) presents a direct challenge to Hamas’s control over aid distribution. The GHF operates with transparency, using barcodes and GPS tracking to ensure aid reaches Gazan families directly, bypassing Hamas’s corrupt networks. Within weeks, the GHF was delivering millions of meals daily. This success exposed the manufactured famine narrative, revealing Hamas’s deliberate obstruction of aid. In response, Hamas resorted to threats and violence, attacking GHF distribution centers, intimidating aid recipients, and even murdering Gazan GHF employees. Simultaneously, a disinformation campaign emerged, falsely accusing the IDF of attacking civilians at GHF sites. These actions underscore Hamas’s desperation to maintain control over aid and perpetuate the starvation narrative.
Exploiting Children and Manipulating Images: The most cynical aspect of Hamas’ propaganda involves exploiting sick children for emotional manipulation. Three prominent cases illustrate this tactic. The case of Wateen Abu Amouna, featured by the BBC, depicted an infant wrapped in a garbage bag, supposedly due to a lack of diapers. Contrary evidence showed the same baby being bottle-fed and wearing diapers. The case of Osama al-Raqab, featured in an Italian newspaper, presented a malnourished child as a victim of Israel’s “starvation policy.” In reality, the child suffered from cystic fibrosis and was receiving treatment in Italy. The case of Mohammed al-Ma’touq, featured in the New York Times, became the iconic image of Gaza’s “famine.” A cropped photo portrayed the emaciated child as a starvation victim, omitting the fact that he suffered from a genetic disorder. The uncropped photo revealed his healthy brother standing beside him, a crucial detail conveniently excluded. These examples highlight the manipulative tactics used to reinforce the famine narrative, relying on emotionally charged imagery detached from reality.
A Deliberate Hoax with Dire Consequences: The manufactured famine in Gaza is a deliberate hoax perpetrated by Hamas. The evidence is overwhelming: ample food aid, Hamas’s documented theft and manipulation of aid, the GHF’s successful direct distribution, and the manipulative use of imagery. This propaganda war has yielded substantial gains for Hamas, garnering international sympathy, deflecting blame, and influencing political decisions including foreign aid and diplomatic pressure on Israel. While Hamas knows it cannot defeat Israel militarily, it has achieved a resounding victory in the propaganda arena. The human cost of this deception is borne by the people of Gaza, trapped in a cycle of manufactured suffering, pawns in Hamas’s cynical game.