Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories accused the authors of a recent IPC food security analysis on Gaza of producing a report whose conclusions were decided in advance and detached from verified humanitarian data, arguing that its publication undermines genuine relief efforts.
In a statement responding to the report, COGAT said the way the assessment was compiled raises doubts about the organization’s professionalism. According to COGAT, the IPC team met with Israeli officials only after drafting the report and finalizing its conclusions, and even when presented with “complete, daily, and verified data,” the authors “chose to present a series of excuses regarding the use of the data and relied only partially on the information provided.” COGAT stated: “The manner in which the IPC conducted itself during the preparation of the report raises serious questions regarding its credibility and professional integrity.”
COGAT also pointed to what it described as internal contradictions in the report, saying its authors ultimately acknowledged there is no famine in Gaza, despite earlier claims to the contrary, while still maintaining assertions of severe food insecurity.
Detailing the scope of aid entering the territory, COGAT stressed that “between 600-800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, approximately 70 percent of which carry food,” explaining that this is “in accordance with Israel’s commitment under the ceasefire agreement to allow and facilitate the entry of 4,200 aid trucks per week.” The statement further said: “Nearly 30,000 food trucks carrying more than 500,000 tons of food entered the Gaza Strip throughout the ceasefire period,” while adding that “approximately 100,000 food trucks entered the Gaza Strip until the start of the ceasefire.” According to COGAT, “these quantities significantly exceed the nutritional requirements of the population in the Gaza Strip according to accepted international methodologies, including those of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).”
COGAT emphasized that much of this assistance does not flow through UN channels, noting that “only about 20 percent of the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is delivered via the UN, while the remainder is delivered by countries, additional international organizations, and the private sector.” It said this fact “illustrates the severe gap between the actual volume of aid and the partial data on which, among other things, the IPC report relies.”
The Israeli agency added that all aid figures are shared transparently, stating the data are “presented daily as part of joint situational assessments to the mediators, the UN, and international organizations,” and warning that “any attempt to present the data otherwise or to claim a shortage of food constitutes a deliberate distortion of the facts.”
In its official rebuttal, COGAT said: “COGAT strongly rejects the claims and conclusions presented in the IPC report published today (Friday), which once again portrays a distorted, biased, and unfounded picture of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The report relies on severe gaps in data collection and on sources that do not reflect the full scope of humanitarian assistance. As such, it misleads the international community, fuels disinformation, and presents a false depiction of the reality on the ground.”
Concluding its response, COGAT warned that flawed assessments harm, rather than help, civilians in Gaza. It stated: “The publication of statements and warnings that are not based on complete and verified data does not advance the humanitarian response. Instead, it harms it and diverts the discussion from the real challenge – improving collection and distribution mechanisms within the Gaza Strip and preventing Hamas from taking control of the aid.” The statement added that the international community must “avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information,” and that COGAT “will continue to act, together with international actors and regional partners, to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its transfer to the civilian population, while preventing the exploitation of the aid by the terrorist organization Hamas.”
{Matzav.com}
Security camera recordings from Weizmann City Mall in Tel Aviv show a hijab-wearing woman approaching a menorah and extinguishing four Chanukah candles while a man believed to be with her claps in approval. After walking away, she returns moments later to put out the shamash that remained lit, and she appears to document the episode on her cellphone.
Israeli authorities are weighing whether the incident constitutes a criminal offense under Section 170 of the Penal Law, which bars “the destruction, damage, or desecration of a place of worship or any object held sacred by a group of people, with intent to insult their religion, or knowingly that they may regard the act as an insult to their religion.”
Police confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the actions of an Arab individual seen in the footage blowing out the Chanukah candles, with detectives reviewing the video and examining the circumstances surrounding the act.
WATCH:ערבייה עוברת בחנוכיות מתעדת איך היא מכבה אותן, ומצלמת להנאתה: התיעוד מקניון וייצמן. גועל נפש! pic.twitter.com/7RJ3O20gtF
— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) December 19, 2025
At a high-level gathering of Russia’s defense establishment, President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Western leaders, using crude language to ridicule UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and suggesting that Russian weaponry could soon be positioned close enough to threaten Britain.
Speaking during the annual defense ministry meeting, Putin accused former US President Joe Biden of deliberately provoking the war in Ukraine and claimed European governments rushed to align themselves with Washington. “Everyone assumed that they would destroy Russia in a short period of time, they would ruin it,” Putin said.
He continued with even sharper rhetoric aimed at Europe, adding: “And the European piglets immediately joined in to aid the former American administration in this task. They were hoping to profit from the collapse of our country. To get back something that was lost in previous historical periods and try to take revenge. As it has now become obvious to everyone. All these attempts and all these destructive plans towards Russia completely failed.”
The remarks were delivered as tensions spiked following reports of a World War III alert, after Russian border guards allegedly crossed into a NATO country without authorization.
Putin used the occasion to argue that Russia has weathered Western pressure, declaring that “Russia has demonstrated its steadiness in the economy, finance, in the internal political situation of the society […] and in the sphere of defence capacity,” while also saying Moscow remains open to talks with Europe — though not with current European leadership.
The comments came just ahead of a crucial summit of European Union leaders focused on reaching an agreement to continue financing Ukraine.
In the same appearance, Putin confirmed that Russia plans to deploy its Oreshnik missile system in Belarus in the near future, placing it within minutes of London. According to Ukrainian intelligence assessments cited by the Express, the move is not primarily aimed at Kyiv but is intended to pressure European capitals.
The planned deployment would position the system roughly 124 miles from Lithuania and the nearest NATO border, significantly shortening missile flight times across much of the European Union compared to launches from within Russia.
Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, warned that the move is designed to intimidate Europe, saying: “The deployment of Oreshnik on Belarusian territory is a means of pressure primarily on the EU and NATO, not on Ukraine.
“This move will allow Russia to expand its capabilities for striking the capital of any European country and significantly reduce missile flight time compared to launching from the Kapustin Yar test site.”
Ivashchenko added that Russia and Belarus are currently building the necessary military infrastructure for the system, including launch sites as well as tracking and communications facilities, though he noted that the work is not yet finished.
Belarusian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka previously said on October 31 that the Oreshnik missile system is expected to become operational sometime this month.
{Matzav.com}The Pentagon says its expanding maritime campaign against drug smuggling has now resulted in more than 100 deaths, following a pair of U.S. strikes Thursday on boats traveling in the eastern Pacific.
According to the U.S. military, two separate vessels were targeted along routes long associated with drug trafficking. Three people were killed when the first boat was hit, while two others died in the strike on a second vessel, the military said in a post on social platform X that also included a 30-second video of the attacks.
U.S. Southern Command said the boats were moving through “known narco-trafficking routes” in the eastern Pacific Ocean and were “engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” The command added that the vessels were operated by members of designated terrorist organizations, though it did not identify which groups were involved.
The military emphasized that no U.S. service members were injured during the operations.
Since early September, when the campaign began, U.S. forces have carried out at least 26 strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing a minimum of 104 people described by the Pentagon as narco-terrorists.
One of those earlier missions, conducted on Sept. 2, has drawn particular attention. During that operation, U.S. forces launched four strikes on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean. The Washington Post later reported that a second attack during the same mission killed two individuals who had survived the initial strike and were clinging to the boat.
Amid the scrutiny, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Thursday that he has seen “no evidence of war crimes” connected to the operation. Some Democrats and experts in the law of armed conflict have argued that the follow-up strike may have violated international law.
{Matzav.com}
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