Biden Admin Forces US-Funded Monitor Group to Retract Report Warning of Imminent Famine in North Gaza

A global food crisis monitoring agency withdrew its recent report warning of an imminent famine in northern Gaza, following intervention from the U.S., according to officials. The report, issued by the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS Net), highlighted starvation risks under Israel’s blockade but was publicly criticized by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew, who labeled the findings “irresponsible.” The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which funds FEWS, requested the retraction, citing discrepancies in population data.

FEWS originally warned of famine-level mortality—up to 15 deaths daily—if Israel’s restrictions continued. However, U.S. officials argued the analysis failed to account for changing conditions, including population movements amid intensified Israeli genocide in Gaza’s north.

Aid groups and human rights organizations decried the retraction as potential political interference. Critics like Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch director, accused the U.S. of undermining independent assessments to shield its ally, Israel, from accountability. “The Biden administration appears more focused on optics than addressing starvation,” Roth remarked.

Israel claims aid is unrestricted, blaming delivery delays on looting and unsafe conditions. However, international monitors report near-total aid blockages, with only sporadic shipments of food and water entering Gaza.

The retracted report will be updated and republished in January, according to FEWS. Meanwhile, the U.N. and humanitarian groups warn that Gaza’s deteriorating conditions pose a dire risk of starvation and malnutrition, especially with restricted aid flow. As political disputes over data and methodology persist, the humanitarian crisis deepens, leaving thousands of civilians in limbo.

If you value our journalism…

TMJ News is committed to remaining an independent, reader-funded news platform. A small donation from our valuable readers like you keeps us running so that we can keep our reporting open to all! We’ve launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $10,000 we need to meet our publishing costs this year, and it’d mean the world to us if you’d make a monthly or one-time donation to help. If you value what we publish and agree that our world needs alternative voices like ours in the media, please give what you can today.