Israeli officials pushed back on Wednesday against claims by Hamas and international media outlets that children in Gaza are suffering from starvation, calling the accusations part of a deliberate disinformation campaign.
“Once again, Hamas is using photos of sick children to push the ‘starvation’ narrative and blame Israel,” said the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, a Defense Ministry body facilitating logistical coordination between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
“But the truth tells a different story,” the unit added.
COGAT cited the case of 14-year-old Abdul Qader al-Fayoumi, a Gazan who was treated in Israel in 2018 for a genetic disease. He was one of hundreds of Palestinian children from the Strip who received medical care in Israeli hospitals before Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, during which the terrorist group destroyed the Erez Crossing—the enclave’s primary pedestrian passage into Israel.
Once again, Hamas is using photos of sick children to push the “starvation” narrative and blame Israel.
— COGAT (@cogatonline) July 31, 2025
But the truth tells a different story.#TheFacts: 14-year-old Abdul Qader al-Fayoumi was treated in Israel back in 2018 for a genetic disease.
Abdul was one of the hundreds… pic.twitter.com/4CcB2Md1ao
Despite the damage to the crossing, Israel said it continues to facilitate medical evacuations to third countries. According to authorities, 180 patients and accompanying family members were transferred on Wednesday to hospitals in the European Union and Jordan.
“Hamas, meanwhile, keeps cynically exploiting them for its own twisted agenda, and part of the international media buys it,” COGAT said.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of manipulating humanitarian images to advance political objectives and divert attention from its terrorist activities.
On Monday, COGAT revealed that a Gazan boy who became the poster child for the alleged famine in the Strip suffers from a genetic illness and was evacuated for treatment last month.
A picture of Osama al-Rakab, 5, was “used to falsely depict Israel as responsible for his condition, claiming Israel is starving children,” including in Italian media and on Al Jazeera, COGAT stated.
“Osama suffers from a serious genetic illness unrelated to the war. On June 12, we actively coordinated Osama’s exit from Gaza with his mother and brother through the Ramon Airport,” it added.
The boy is being treated in an Italian hospital.
“Tragic images rightfully stir strong emotions, but when they’re misused to fuel hatred and lies, they do more harm than good,” said COGAT. “Don’t let compassion be exploited for propaganda.
“Check the facts before parroting blame,” the Defense Ministry unit concluded, attaching a picture showing Osama in a hospital gown in Italy.
A photo of 5-year-old Osama al-Rakab has gone viral, used to falsely depict Israel as responsible for his condition, claiming Israel is starving children.#TheFacts: Osama suffers from a serious genetic illness unrelated to the war. On June 12, we actively coordinated Osama's… pic.twitter.com/7IY826P0JZ
— COGAT (@cogatonline) July 28, 2025
Israeli authorities on Wednesday reported the continued flow of aid supplies into Gaza, coordinated with the United Nations and international partners.
More than 200 aid trucks were collected and distributed by the U.N. and affiliated organizations on Wednesday, COGAT said. An additional 270 trucks entered Gaza and are awaiting pickup, joining hundreds of others queued for distribution.
Two tankers carrying U.N.-designated fuel also entered the territory to support the operation of critical humanitarian infrastructure.
In parallel, 32 pallets of humanitarian supplies were airdropped over Gaza in a joint effort with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan.
