A revealing, data-driven analysis, a newly published study in the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research delivers an unprecedented look at the food supplies reaching Gaza during the first seven months of the Hamas-Israel war, found that food deliveries to Gaza met nutritional standards. Conducted by a team of multidisciplinary experts, the study meticulously assesses both the quantity and nutritional adequacy of these shipments, measuring them against international humanitarian standards.
This contradicts more than a year of anti-Israel propaganda that claimed Israel was denying Gazans basic food supplies and that the people there were on the verge of starvation.
Israeli authorities have consistently shown that more than enough food and other supplies make it into Gaza regularly; however, the United Nations fails to distribute the food with countless trucks loaded with supplies simply sitting for days on the Gaza side of the border.
In addition, large quantities of aid are simply stolen by Hamas terrorists.
The findings of the analysis are striking: a total of 478,229 metric tons of food was delivered to Gaza over the period, providing an average daily per capita intake of 3,004 kcal—far surpassing the Sphere humanitarian standard of 2,100 kcal/day. The nutritional breakdown reveals 98 grams of protein (13% of total energy), 61 grams of fat (18% of total energy), and 23 mg of iron—the latter falling below the recommended minimum.
This comprehensive study offers a rare, objective perspective on the realities of food supply during the ongoing conflict, shedding light on both the sufficiency and shortcomings of humanitarian efforts in the region.
The study shows that large quantities of food were consistently supplied via Israeli border crossings and airdrops. Nevertheless, it identifies distribution failures inside Gaza—caused by logistical difficulties and interference—as the primary barriers to food reaching those in need.
The Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip), which is responsible for transferring aid to Gaza, reports that to date 1,326,189 tons worth of aid have been delivered there.
The study underwent rigorous peer review and was led by Prof. Aron Troen from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Prof. Ronit Endevelt from the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa and the Israel Ministry of Health. Co-authors include Prof. Dorit Nitzan from the School of Public Health at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and postdoctoral researcher Naomi Fliss-Isakov from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Ministry of Health, under the guidance of Prof. Gilad Twig from Tel Aviv University.
