Gaza 14,000 Babies Warning From UN Explained
A heated debate was sparked after the United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that 14,000 babies in Gaza would die within 48 hours unless aid reached them.
Fletcher cited the figure during a BBC interview on Tuesday as he described what he said was a growing humanitarian disaster facing Palestinians, in particular children, amid Israel's war on Hamas after months of siege, conflict, and aid restrictions.
Later, pro-Israeli X accounts and media outlets shared what they said was a contradictory statement by the BBC, citing the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), some of which was carried in its live blog clarifying Fletcher's claim and its time frame.
Newsweek has contacted UNOCHA and the BBC for comment.
The war in Gaza began followed Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Hamas still holds 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive.
Israel's launch of another offensive in Gaza in recent days with the aim of returning the hostages comes amid international condemnation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government's 11-week blockade of the area.
As humanitarian groups warn of famine, Fletcher's claims on the BBC about thousands of babies' lives being at risk were widely reported by other media outlets, including Newsweek. But Israeli media reported that this figure was aimed at exaggerating the immediacy of the threat. The issue has underlined the heated nature of the debate over Israel's actions in Gaza.
On the BBC's Today program, Fletcher spoke about what he described as the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the urgency of Israel ending its blockade on aid into the Palestinian territory.
He said that only a trickle of aid was coming into Gaza and five trucks that were permitted to enter were on the other side of the border and had not reached the communities they needed to reach.
"Let me describe what is on those trucks, this is baby food, baby nutrition," Fletcher said. "There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them."
Israel has blocked aid since March 2, arguing that enough humanitarian assistance had entered the Gaza Strip during a six-week ceasefire and that Hamas was diverting the supplies. Fletcher said that "this is not food that Hamas are going to steal."
When asked where he got that "extraordinary figure," Fletcher said that the UN had teams on the ground and at medical centers and schools trying to assess needs.
When asked for further details, the UN human rights commission spokesperson Jens Laerke told the BBC in a statement "we are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies in to save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza, as the IPC partnership [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification] has warned about."
"We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible," added the statement, also reported by U.K. publication the Jewish Chronicle, "ideally within the next 48 hours."
Social media posts referring to the 14,000 figure took off on platforms like Instagram and X over the past 24 hours amid anger from some observers about the plight of Palestinian babies.
However, the IPC analysis to which Laerke was referring was released on May 12, before the latest Israel operation started. It estimated nearly 71,000 children "aged 6 to 59 months" faced "acute malnourishment" between April 2025 and March 2026, "including 14,100 severe cases," therefore describing a period of 11 months, not 48 hours.
The difference between the headline and the data has sparked questions among critics about whether the UN had exaggerated the scale and immediacy of the threat to discredit Netanyahu's government.
"Tom Fletcher literally made it up. '14,000 babies' was a hoax," former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy wrote on X.The Jerusalem Post reported that the UN had "seemingly retracted" Fletcher's statement.
A headline on a Times of Israel report on Wednesday said: "Debunked: UN official's claim 14,000 Gazan babies could die in 48 hours was untrue."
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday: "There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them."
IPC partnership [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification] in May 12 report: "Nearly 71,000 annual cases of acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months, including 14,100 severe cases, are expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026."
Israel War Room X account: "Israel has never allowed famine or starvation to actually occur in Gaza, and once again, Israel is letting aid in to ensure it doesn't happen."
Israeli authorities have given the United Nations permission for 93 more aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip. The aid has not yet reached Palestinians in desperate need, according to the United Nations, cited by the Associated Press, which could add further pressure on Netanyahu's government.
Related Articles
Map Shows Countries Condemning Israel Over Gaza OffensiveIsrael Preparing Strike on Iran Amid US Tensions: ReportNATO Leaders Give Israel A Gaza UltimatumWhat Is Project Esther? Plan To Tackle Pro-Palestinian Protests in US
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
21 minutes ago
US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants. All 14 other members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The resolution before the U.N.'s most powerful body also did not fulfill two other U.S. demands: It did not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, speaking to the council immediately before the vote, said the resolution would undermine the security of Israel. a close U.S. ally, and diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire 'that reflects the realities on the ground." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the resolution would only have empowered Hamas. 'Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages,' he said in a statement. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the United States for refusing to abandon the hostages. He said the resolution's failure to make the release of hostages a condition for a ceasefire would have put all the pressure on Israel and handed Hamas 'time, leverage and political cover.' But the U.S. veto of the resolution — its fifth since the start of the war — was roundly criticized by other members of the council, who accused the United States of providing Israel with impunity. The Chinese ambassador to the U.N. said Israel's actions have 'crossed every red line' of international humanitarian law and seriously violated U.N. resolutions. 'Yet, due to the shielding by one country, these violations have not been stopped or held accountable," Ambassador Fu Cong said. Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, a usual U.S. ally, lashed out at Israel. 'This Israeli government's decisions to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive, and the U.K. completely opposes them,' she said. Pakistan's Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the U.S. veto "will be remembered as a complicity, a green light for continued annihilation. A moment where the entire world was expecting action. But yet again, this council was blocked and prevented by one member from carrying out its responsibility.' Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, the coordinator for the council's 10 elected members, stressed that it was never the intention to provoke a veto and therefore the resolution focused on the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for unimpeded access to deliver aid. 'Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane and against international law,' he told the council after the vote. 'No war objective can justify such action. We had hoped and expected that this was our shared understanding.' Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Palestinians are now urging governments to take 'real measures' to pressure Israel to get out of Gaza before it implements what he called an Israeli plan 'to destroy our people." And in the coming days, he said, the Palestinians will head to the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, with a similar humanitarian-focused resolution. Unlike in the Security Council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are seen as a barometer of world opinion. The U.S. vetoed the last Security Council resolution on Gaza in November, under the Biden administration, also because the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the release of all hostages. Similarly, the current resolution demands those taken by Hamas and other groups be released, but it does not make it a condition for a truce. President Donald Trump's administration has tried to ramp up its efforts to broker peace in Gaza after 20 months of war. However, Hamas has sought amendments to a U.S. proposal that special envoy Steve Witkoff has called 'totally unacceptable.' The vote followed a decision by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation to pause food delivery in Gaza after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings this week. Israel and the United States say the new system was designed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid previously distributed by the U.N. The United Nations has rejected the new system. The U.N. says its distribution system worked very well during the March ceasefire and is carefully monitored. Gaza is almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
USA Today Quietly 'Updates' Fluff Piece On Boulder Terrorist's Daughter
USA Today initially published a fluff article about a family member of the illegal alien who set fire to pro-Israel protesters on June 1 in Colorado. However, rather than standing by its narrative and providing a stand-alone follow-up piece, the outlet quietly revised the originally published article after facing public backlash. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian in the country illegally, lit fire to a crowd of pro-Israel protestors in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, as The Dallas Express reported. According to KDVR, officials recently updated the number of victims to 15 – plus a dog. The FBI is investigating the attack as a 'targeted act of terrorism.' USA Today published an article on June 3 titled, 'Boulder suspect's daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation.' The article still had this headline when The Dallas Express archived the page early the afternoon of June 4. At that point, it read as a glowing feature of the terrorist's daughter, Habiba Soliman. However, after the article sparked a public backlash, the outlet watered down the title – and toned down the original piece. After The Dallas Express archived the piece, USA Today changed the title and reworked the original article to 'Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder.' Instead of writing a new piece, the outlet chose to cover its tracks. The outlet also the article to focus more on the horrific attack. A note at the top of the piece reads, 'This story has been recast and updated with new information.' At the time USA Today published the original article, Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French replied on X: In the first version of the article, USA Today Habiba's life 'had been headed in a before the attack' – a phrase not present in the updated piece. It said she 'had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S.,' citing her hopes of a 'future medical career.' The outlet kept the latter phrases in the updated piece but slightly reframed or altered them. Before his terror attack against pro-Israel protestors, Habiba's father, Mohamed, recorded a tirade against America and the 'Zionists.' 'Allah is greater than the Zionists, Allah is greater than America and its weapons,' he said. 'Do not forget that Allah is greater than everything. Not the Zionists, America, Britain, France, or Germany.' Mohamed overstayed his visa under former President Joe Biden's watch, as The Dallas Express previously reported. According to The Greeley Tribune, Soliman lived in Kuwait for 17 years and then arrived in America in 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. He overstayed the visa and then a work authorization. The White House posted on June 3 that Soliman's family was set for 'expedited removal' as early as that night. However, a Biden-appointed U.S. district judge in Colorado, Gordon Gallagher, blocked their deportation on June 4, according to Fox News. The State Department reportedly revoked the visas for Soliman's family. At the time of publication, it was unclear whether or not Habiba Soliman, her siblings, or her mother had committed visa violations. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on June 3 that ICE had Soliman's family on suspicions they could have known about or aided the attack. She said Soliman would be 'prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' 'We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,' Noem wrote. 'I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.'
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Badenoch launches review into possible ECHR exit
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is to set up a commission to examine whether the UK should withdraw from a series of international legal agreements and overturn some domestic legislation which she fears may be binding the hands of British governments. Among the agreements being looked into is the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Badenoch is expected to appoint Tory peer and former justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar to chair the commission, which is expected to report by autumn, when the party meets for its annual conference. Last month, the government announced plans to bring forward legislation to "clarify" the extent to which ECHR would impact UK immigration cases. Labour's immigration plans at a glance UK may have to leave human rights treaty, says Badenoch The ECHR was established in 1950 and sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in the 46 signatory countries. The treaty is a central part of UK human rights law and has been used to halt attempts to deport migrants who are deemed to be in the UK illegally. The treaty was also recently cited in a case that allowed a Palestinian family the right to live in the UK, after they originally applied through a scheme designed for Ukrainians. During the Conservative leadership election, the ECHR became a key dividing line between candidates, with Badenoch telling her party leaving the treaty would not be a "silver bullet" to tackling immigration. Her nearest rival Robert Jenrick, now shadow justice secretary, argued his party would "die' unless it left the ECHR. But in February, Badenoch hardened her stance, claiming the UK would "probably have to leave" the treaty it continued to stop the government acting in the country's national interest. The impact of the ECHR on asylum claims and the deportation of foreign criminals will be examined as part of the Wolfson review, the BBC understands - as will the Refugee Convention. Domestic law such as the Climate Change Act, the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act are also likely to be looked at. The party leadership is worried about what is seen as a creeping sense of "lawfare", which senior figures believe contributes to a feeling of stasis and a lack of ability for governments to make substantive changes. Last month when the government set out its plans for tackling illegal immigration in a White Paper, ministers said they would bring forward legislation to "make it clear that Parliament needs to be able to control our borders and take back control on who comes to and stays in the UK". The White Paper specifically referred to Article 8 of the ECHR, the right to a family life, and said there was a need to "strike a balance between individual family rights and the wider public interest". Badenoch will set out her plans in a speech on Friday, just over a month on from local elections in England where the Conservatives were crushed – and a series of opinion polls where support for the party had tumbled into the teens. The Tories secured 24% of the vote in last year's general election, when they won the fewest seats in their history. There is growing concern within the party about the resilience of support for Reform UK and the existential threat this poses to the Conservatives. "It is a make or break summer," one former Conservative cabinet minister told me. "We are a resilient brand but we have to stay alive. And that's far from certain at the moment." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
