Netanyahu: Gaza Famine Claim is a 'Gross Lie'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced a UN report declaring a famine in Gaza as a 'gross lie'. He blamed Hamas for the shortages.

'Israel does not have a policy of famine. Israel has a policy of preventing famine,' Netanyahu's office said in a statement. He claimed that 'the only ones being deliberately starved in Gaza are the Israeli hostages' held by Hamas.

The UN officially declared a famine in Gaza, stating it 'could have been avoided' without 'Israel's systematic obstruction'.

Netanyahu responded that the UN report 'ignores Israel's humanitarian efforts and the systematic theft of aid by Hamas', adding that 'these thefts are what caused the temporary shortages, which Israel overcame thanks' to its actions.