The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned debates over the extent of hunger in Gaza, calling them “obscene.” In an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Catherine Russell stated that it is time to stop arguing about methodology and acknowledge that children are dying.
According to UNICEF’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), there is famine in Gaza, and starvation is rapidly spreading. However, Israel has rejected this assessment, claiming it is an attempt to discredit their war with Hamas in Gaza.
Russell believes that the IPC report should be taken at face value and that Israel can demonstrate the truth by allowing international press to enter the area. She described scenes of emaciated children and thousands more who have had amputations, calling them “one terrible thing after another for children.”
The war in Gaza has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, mostly among combatants and noncombatants. UNICEF estimates that 18,000 children in Gaza have already died, or approximately 28 per day, since the conflict began nearly two years ago.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/24/gaza-hunger-debate-unicef-00522503