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A report saying that northern Gaza is seeing a growing threat of famine was removed this week following "political meddling" by the US ambassador to Israel.Ìý

The report, issued by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was removed on Tuesday following criticism by US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, according to Jewish Insider.

Lew claimed the report relied on "inaccurate information", "caused confusion" and was "irresponsible".

"At a time when inaccurate information is causing confusion and accusations, it is irresponsible to issue a report like this," the ambassador claimed on social media. Hours later, USAID's report warning of growing famine in Gaza was removed from its website.

The report described a blockade of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza, with between 65,000 and 75,000 civilians in the area, many unable to evacuate due to Israel's attacks.

While these figures may vary, humanitarian groups have consistently been warning of imminent famine in Gaza for the past several months, given the blockade and Israel's indiscriminate military assault. Palestinians in Gaza have reportedly been hunting wild birds to survive.Ìý

On this particular incident, humanitarian and human rights officials expressed fear of US political interference in the world's monitoring system for famines. The US Embassy in Israel and the State Department declined comment to media agencies, while FEWS officials did not respond to questions fromÌýAP.Ìý

Political meddling?Ìý

In challenging the findings publicly, the US ambassador "leveraged his political power to undermine the work of this expert agency," said Scott Paul, a senior manager at the Oxfam America humanitarian non-profit, to media outlets. Paul stressed that he was not weighing in on the accuracy of the data or methodology of the report.

"The whole point of creating FEWS is to have a group of experts make assessments about imminent famine that are untainted by political considerations," said Kenneth Roth, former executive director ofÌýÌýand now a visiting professor in international affairs atÌý, toÌýAP. "It sure looks like USAID is allowing political considerations—the Biden administration's worry about funding Israel’s starvation strategy—to interfere."

Israel says it has been operating in recent months against Hamas militants still active in northern Gaza. It says the vast majority of the area's residents have fled and relocated to Gaza City, where most aid destined for the north is delivered. However, a growing number of humanitarian groups and critics, including a former defence minister, have accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza's far north, near the Israeli border, as part of its genocide.Ìý

North Gaza has been one of the areas hardest-hit by fighting and Israel's restrictions on aid. Global famine monitors and UN and US officials have warned repeatedly of the imminent risk of malnutrition and deaths from starvation hitting famine levels.

Roth criticised the US challenge of the report in light of the gravity of the crisis there.

"This quibbling over the number of people desperate for food seems a politicised diversion from the fact that the Israeli government is blocking virtually all food from getting in," he said, adding that "the Biden administration seems to be closing its eyes to that reality, but putting its head in the sand won't feed anyone."

The US, Israel's main backer, provided a record amount of military support in the first year of the war.ÌýMilitary support for Israel's war on Gaza is politically charged in the US, with Republicans and some Democrats staunchly opposed any effort to limit US support over the suffering of Palestinian civilians. The Biden administration's reluctance to do more to press Israel for improved treatment of civilians undercut support for Democrats in last month's elections.

International officials say Israel last summer increased the amount of aid it was admitting there, under US pressure. The US and UN have said Gaza's people as a whole need between 350 and 500 trucks a day of food and other vital needs.

But the UN and aid groups say Israel recently has again blocked almost all aid to that part of Gaza.Ìý, the American head of the UN World Food Program, previouslyÌýÌýfor political pressure to get food flowing to Palestinians there.

(Agencies contributed to this report)