An Israeli review of data from Hamas’ Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) has claimed that most of the reported deaths due to malnutrition in the Strip were actually due to “severe pre-existing conditions” unrelated to the war.
The Israeli Defence Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) claimed that the data had been manipulated and “tragic images” of sick children exploited as part of an “orchestrated campaign... to discredit the State of Israel and achieve political gains”.
“The thorough review found a significant gap between the number of deaths attributed to malnutrition as reported by Hamas’s health ministry and the cases documented and published with full identifying details in the media and on social media,” said the agency.
The MoH reported just 66 deaths related to malnutrition between October 2023 and June 2025, but then 133 last month alone.
Cogat’s “in-depth” research “identified only a handful of actual cases”, concluding: “This discrepancy between the numerical reports and the individual publications raises doubts about their credibility.”
Of the cases it could identify, the review apparently found that most of them could be linked to “severe pre-existing conditions”.
Cogat went on: “The case-by-case analysis of the published deaths shows that most of those allegedly dying from malnutrition had preexisting medical conditions that led to the deterioration of their health, unrelated to their nutritional status. It was also found that some had even received medical treatment in Israel before the war.
"This indicates that the documented cases do not represent the condition of the general population in the Gaza Strip but rather selectively present extreme cases involving preexisting illnesses.”
The findings of the review have not yet been independently verified.
In its own statement on the conclusions, the IDF highlighted the case of four-year-old Abdullah Hanu Muhammad Abu Zarqa, who was listed among the MoH’s data.
It said: “[He] has a genetic disease causing deficiencies, osteoporosis, and bone thinning.
"Four months before the outbreak of the war, he traveled with his mother to receive medical treatment in East Jerusalem.”
A military spokesperson added: “The expert review concluded that there are no signs of a widespread malnutrition phenomenon among the population in Gaza.
“Hamas cynically exploits tragic images and misuses them for a false and timed propaganda campaign aimed at generating pressure and creating negative public opinion against Israel.
"The IDF, through Cogat, will continue working to improve the humanitarian response in Gaza, in cooperation with the international community, while rejecting allegations of famine in Gaza.”
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