The United Nation’s humanitarian relief chief is being called on to resign after his incorrect interpretation of a UN food security report kickstarted a widespread misinformation campaign about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. 

While speaking on BBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday, the UN officer, Tom Fletcher, relayed the harrowing warning that 14,000 babies will die in Gaza in the next 48 hours. When asked how he arrived at that number, he responded that the UN has “strong teams on the ground” working in medical centers and schools. 

The startling figure was quickly scooped up by dozens of news outlets and racked up hundreds of thousands of hits on social media. It was even peddled by British lawmakers during a debate at the House of Commons.

The only problem, though, is that the statistic is demonstrably false and it has already been walked back by both the British broadcast network and the UN. 

Amid backlash from pro-Israel commentators following the initial interview, the BBC quietly confirmed that the UN’s humanitarian affairs office informed it that the number came from the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report. That report predicts there will be 14,100 severe cases of acute malnutrition among children aged six months to 59 months in Gaza — in roughly a year. 

In a nutshell, Mr. Fletcher’s warning was incorrect on nearly all fronts. He first got it wrong that all of the 14,000 children are babies; he then misspoke that they’re all expected to die; and lastly, he completely botched the timeline. Additionally, the report was published on May 12, before Israel began to allow aid to enter Gaza. 

Despite the clarification from both the UN and the BBC, the figure has taken on a life of its own. According to an artificial-intelligence-powered analysis from JewishOnliner, the words “14,000 + Babies” have been posted online an estimated 133,000 times and received some 685,000 interactions — potentially reaching 4.5 billion viewers. Those numbers are likely underestimated, given that the analysis excludes Facebook and Instagram. 

“Fletcher’s false claim was widely and rapidly amplified by mainstream media in the US, UK, and Australia,” JewishOnliner writes. “While shocking headlines grab attention for days, the subsequent corrections or retractions rarely receive the same coverage or reach, leaving many unaware that the initial claim was debunked.” 

The false report may have even made its way to Vatican City, perhaps prompting Pope Leo XIV to share a message on Wednesday voicing his concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which he described as “increasingly worrying and painful.” He wrote in the same post: “I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to bring an end to the hostilities, whose heart-rending price is borne by children, the elderly, and the sick.”

The post was criticized by Israeli activists, who pointed out that the pontiff failed to call for Hamas to release the hostages. 

In light of the wide-reaching consequences of the UN official’s mistake, pro-Israel activists are calling for accountability. “Tom Fletcher should hand in his resignation immediately for causing a global media panic about something totally made up,” a former spokesman for the Israeli government, Eylon Levy, shared. “He is either a complete numpty or malicious.” 

A former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Avi Mayer, relayed a similar message: “the ‘14,000 babies’ claim cited by @UNReliefChief Tom Fletcher was completely made up. A total fiction,” he lamented. “Is there ever any accountability for this stuff? Why do @UN officials get a pass for lying?”

Another prominent defender of Israel, Gerald Steinberg, the founder of NGO Monitor, chimed in: “If @UNReliefChief Tom Fletcher doesn’t have the basic decency to apologize and resign immediately, he should be removed from office, stripped of his pension and indicted as an accomplice to heinous war crimes.”