In a live BBC interview, journalist Christian Fraser referenced a widely debunked famine narrative while challenging UK barrister Natasha Hausdorff. Fraser interrupted Hausdorff as she cited evidence from international and Israeli sources that contradicted the claim.
In a BBC interview, Natasha Hausdorff, Legal Director of UK Lawyers for Israel, claimed the International Criminal Court “is acting outside of its jurisdiction,” arguing that “Israel is not a member state of the ICC and the Palestinian Authority, not constituting a state, isn’t in a position to join the court.” She asserted that issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials violates the principle of complementarity, as “there are already multiple investigations by the Military Advocate General Corps.” Responding to Hausdorff's claim that famine allegations were false, BBC presenter Christian Fraser directly asked, “You don’t think there was starvation in Gaza?” and later added, “We’ve also had plenty of doctors on who would deny that, who are there and on the ground and are treating people for malnutrition.”
According to a peer-reviewed article in the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, the average daily caloric intake available to individuals in Gaza during the conflict reached 3,004 kilocalories per person. This figure significantly exceeds both the Sphere humanitarian minimum standard of 2,100 kcal/day and the global average daily calorie consumption, which the World Bank reports as approximately 2,884 kcal/day. Based on this comparison, the available calorie supply in Gaza was about 4.2% higher than the global average and over 43% higher than the humanitarian threshold. These findings are frequently cited by UK Lawyers for Israel to challenge famine-related claims.
The Famine Review Committee (FRC), an expert panel associated with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), reviewed reports predicting famine in Gaza and found some projections to be implausible due to methodological concerns. The FRC emphasized the need for accurate data and cautioned against premature famine declarations without robust evidence.
Natasha Hausdorff is a British barrister specializing in international law, with a focus on public international law, the law of armed conflict, and national security. She earned her law degree from Oxford University and an LL.M. magna cum laude from Tel Aviv University, later serving as a Fellow in Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Program. Hausdorff clerked for Chief Justice Miriam Naor at the Israeli Supreme Court and previously practiced as a solicitor at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in London and Brussels. She is currently a barrister at 6 Pump Court Chambers in London and serves as the legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust.