The United Nations has backtracked on a widely reported claim made by its humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if aid didn’t reach them, a figure now confirmed to reflect a longer-term estimate.Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, Fletcher had said: “There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them,” citing stalled aid trucks at the border carrying baby food and nutritional supplements. When asked how he arrived at that number, Fletcher responded that “strong teams on the ground” were assessing the humanitarian situation from medical centres and schools.However, the BBC later confirmed that the figure was based on an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report that estimated around 14,100 cases of severe acute malnutrition among children aged six to 59 months over a year-long period, from April 2025 to March 2026. The report did not suggest that these children would die within 48 hours.According to the Jerusalem Post, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) later clarified that while the figure was accurate, the time frame was not. UNOCHA was quoted saying by the BBC, “We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours,” emphasising urgency but not predicting mass deaths in that span.Despite the clarification, Fletcher’s original statement sparked international concern and was cited by at least nine UK Members of Parliament, according to the Jewish Chronicle. Critics, especially pro-Israel voices, accused Fletcher of inflating numbers to pressure Israel. Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy labelled the figure “a hoax” on X.The controversy unfolded as Israel reopened aid access into Gaza on May 18 after halting it post-ceasefire in early March. On Tuesday, around 93 UN-inspected trucks carrying flour, baby food, medical gear and pharmaceuticals were allowed in, Newsweek reported. Fletcher called this “a drop in the ocean,” warning that significantly more aid was still urgently needed.Fletcher also rejected Israel’s new plan to direct aid through a designated “Hamas-free” zone in southern Gaza, calling it a “dodgy modality.” He insisted the previous method of distributing aid worked better, adding: “To go with the other modality would be to support the objectives of the military offensive.”Amid increasing international pressure, UK foreign secretary David Lammy announced a suspension of trade talks with Israel, calling its recent military escalation “morally unjustifiable.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the situation as “utterly intolerable,” adding, “We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.”
