Do you know that about 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if Israel didn’t stop starving the Gazan people?
If you follow NBC News on X you certainly do.
Here is what NBC posted – before checking it properly…after which the network (embarrassingly, I would hope) took it down.
The problem, however? It is an absolute, unequivocal lie.
From the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) article – and please pay special attention to the last paragraphs, which I’ve put in bold print:
Earlier, the UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC thousands of babies could die in Gaza if Israel does not immediately let aid in.
Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Mr Fletcher said: “There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them.”
When pressed on how he had arrived at that figure, he said there were “strong teams on the ground” operating in medical centres and schools – but did not provide further details.
The BBC later asked for clarification on the figure from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), which said: “We are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies in to save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza, as the IPC partnership has warned about. We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours.”
It highlighted a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which stated 14,100 severe cases of acute malnutrition are expected to occur among children aged six to 59 months between April 2025 and March 2026.
The IPC report says this could take place over the course of about a year – not 48 hours.
So 14,000 babies are not going to die in two days.
Actually, if children do not get proper food over the next full year, they will suffer acute malnutrition, not death. And, of course, if they do get food it won’t happen.
Other than that, NBC got it right.
Put another way, if I buy the winning lottery ticket this weekend, I’ll be rich. And, of course, if I don’t buy the winning ticket, I won’t be.
Are you impressed with NBC’s reporting? If so, I suggest you immediately apply for citizenship in the Bizarro World. It is where you belong.
