Study Finds Food Aid to Gaza Exceeds International Standards

Latest Developments

Results from a scientific study published on June 2 indicate that food shipments to Gaza are enough to feed the enclave’s entire population of approximately 2.4 million. The study, authored by a group of Israeli academics and public health officials, also found that the nutritional content of the aid exceeds the internationally accepted Sphere guidelines for humanitarian efforts. Leveraging data from Israel’s Coordination of Government Territories (COGAT), the researchers analyzed aid deliveries by land and air between January and April 2024. They concluded that the average “per capita per day energy supplied was 3,374 [calories]” and that “energy, protein, and fat amounts exceed Sphere recommendations.” According to the Sphere guidelines, the average recommended daily nutritional intake is 2,100 calories per person.

Expert Analysis

“There have been relentless accusations that Israel does not allow enough aid into Gaza, contributing to a dire shortage of food. By challenging that conventional wisdom, this study may help refocus attention on how groups within Gaza prevent aid from reaching Palestinians. Remember, when aid first rolled off the U.S.-built pier on the Gaza coast, deliveries had to be suspended because looters pillaged so many trucks.” — David Adesnik, FDD Senior Fellow and Director of Research

“Hamas has made clear through its looting, attacking humanitarian aid crossings, and illicitly selling donated aid at sky-high prices, that starving Palestinians hurts Israel more than it hurts Hamas. Likewise, Egypt has refused to open the Rafah crossing that would facilitate aid into Gaza. Instead, Cairo has covered up for the massive underground smuggling ring that has thwarted aid getting to needy Gazans. Rather than blaming Israel, which sends hundreds of aid trucks a day into Gaza, those who really care about ensuring aid gets to Gazans should put the malign activities of Hamas and Egypt under a microscope. They will find addressing this corruption would go a long way to helping those in need.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action

Aid Distribution Challenges

Professor Aron Troen, the study’s lead researcher, noted that “simply having food in a warehouse does not mean that people are actually consuming what they need.” The distribution of food, as well as other vital goods, is hampered by looting by Hamas terrorists and criminal groups. According to veteran Israeli journalist Ehud Ya’ari, Hamas has earned at least $500 million from the sale of captured aid since the beginning of the war. On May 2, for example, Hamas terrorists hijacked a major humanitarian aid shipment that entered through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza. The United Nations (UN) paused aid deliveries in February after a convoy involving multiple trucks was looted and a driver was physically assaulted. 

UN, ICC Falsely Accuse Israel of Starving Palestinians

Disputing a UN report that warned of imminent famine in Gaza, COGAT noted in March that Israel “places no limits” on aid deliveries and “absolutely does not limit the entrance of food” into Gaza. “We outright reject any allegations according to which Israel is purposefully starving the civilian population in Gaza,” COGAT said. On May 20, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan requested that arrest warrants be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, falsely accusing the officials of pursuing “a common plan to use starvation as a method of war,” among other crimes. Netanyahu denounced the ICC’s accusations as a “pack of lies.” Professor Troen told Fox News that “there is a large gap between the harms of war and claims that Israeli is deliberately starving Palestinian people.

Related Analysis

“Hamas Terrorists Attack Kerem Shalom Aid Crossing for Fourth Time in May,” FDD Flash Brief

“Stung by Looting, UN Announces New Distribution Routes for Gaza Aid Delivered Through U.S.-Funded Pier,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Disputes Report of Imminent Famine in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief