UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher sparked a furious row this week when he said 14,000 babies in Gaza were at risk of dying within two days if essential aid was not allowed into the war-torn territory.
Israel has stridently hit back at the claims, accusing Mr Fletcher of “blood libel” over the statement.
Here is what happened.
UN chief says ‘utterly chilling’ number of babies at risk
One day after Israel announced it would allow some aid to be sent to Gaza following an 11-week blockade, Mr Fletcher made the claim 14,000 babies were at risk of dying if greater amounts of aid were not allowed into the territory.
“There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them,” he said in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning.
"I want to save as many of these 14,000 babies as we can in the next 48 hours," he said, adding the UN needed to “flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid”.
Asked during that interview how the UN had worked out that 14,000 babies may die within 48 hours if more aid doesn’t reach them, Mr Fletcher said teams on the ground have been working hard in places such as medical centres and schools to assess need.
“We still have lots of people on the ground. And so they're at the medical centres, they're at the schools. We had another school bombed yesterday, trying to assess needs, and this is why our mechanism for getting aid in, it's imperfect,” he said.
Israeli government hits back at claims
The Israeli government condemned Mr Fletcher’s comments, accusing the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of ignoring Hamas atrocities and echoing the terrorist organisation’s propaganda.
The Israel Foreign Ministry tweeted: “When Tom Fletcher … ignores Hamas' atrocities but echoes their propaganda - it’s not humanitarian work, it’s blood libel.”
The foreign ministry also said Mr Fletcher “conveniently ‘forgets’ that Hamas terrorists operate from hospitals, fire rockets from UN schools, and hijack humanitarian aid - profiting from it while recruiting thousands and stockpiling weapons.”
The Israeli administration also weighed in from its official X account: “Genocide? War crimes? These aren’t facts - they’re fabrications.”
It continued: “Fletcher’s accusations collapse under scrutiny, just like every one of his past claims. He’s not after justice. He’s after headlines and money.”
UN body says babies will suffer without help
When asked to clarify Mr Fletcher’s comments, a spokesperson for OCHA said: “It is imperative to get supplies into Gaza to save an estimated 14,000 babies likely to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, as the IPC partnership has warned about.
“We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours. We will try to reach as many as we can in the days ahead - and are prioritising baby food on first convoys.”
OCHA did not answer our questions about whether that IPC figure was the one Mr Fletcher was referring to. The Independent has sought further clarification.
The IPC is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative by organisations including the European Commission, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation.
Its latest report on acute food insecurity and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, published on 12 May, said more than 2 million people across the territory would likely experience crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, including nearly 469,500 who are likely to experience catastrophic food insecurity.
The report projected there would be 70,500 cases of acute malnutrition in children aged six to 59 months between April 2025 and March 2026, including 14,100 severe cases.
“Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine,” the report said.
Mr Fletcher has not addressed his comments since, but has been active on social media.
He tweeted on Thursday: “In close touch with team in #Gaza. Today will be crucial. Truckloads of lifesaving aid finally on move again.
“I’m in awe of [the] courage of our humanitarians - but they continue to face huge challenges getting goods out of the crossing to where it is needed. Vital, lifesaving work.”
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