The following is the transcript of an interview with UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 24, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We return now to Gaza and that stunning declaration Friday about a monitoring group that Gaza City is experiencing man-made famine, and that those conditions will expand soon. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell joins us now. We want to warn our viewers, there will be some upsetting images in this segment. Executive Director Russell, thank you for joining us. We've spoken so many times over the past few years about the catastrophic starvation. Now you have this technical designation- so rare to see a famine here. They project it's going to spread. Can you explain, in real-world terms, what does this mean for the children who live there?
CATHERINE RUSSELL: Well, thank you, Margaret. Let me say this: You know, it's been, now, almost two years since October 7th, and since then, Israeli children have been killed and taken hostage, and now we're seeing Palestinian children finally facing what we've been yelling and screaming about for months and months and months, which is a terrible famine. You know, we've estimated at this point that about 18,000 children in Gaza have already died. And those are children who die from a whole range of issues. But when you think about that, that's about 28 children a day. That's almost a classroom of children every single day who have died since the beginning of this conflict. We have been saying we beware, right, this- this famine is just right around the corner, and it's- it's almost like you're screaming into an abyss, you know. It's so- it's shocking that it's happened, because, as you said, it happens so rarely, but it's not surprising. And what it means, really, is that children have been spending months and months without sufficient food. And we see just a horrible situation where children are on the verge of starvation and ultimately dying from starvation. And I think, you know, for your viewers who haven't seen this, and hopefully many of them have not, it is a haunting image. Children literally waste away. And you see it in rooms where you know suddenly they're all quiet. The children are so quiet because they have no energy even to cry, and to see that happen, and especially in a place where food is not very far away, right? There's no reason for this. This did not happen because there were cyclones or, you know, droughts. This happened because we could not get enough aid in to these children.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And as you know, the Israeli government entity that oversees the Palestinian territories, it's called COGAT, says there is no famine. They say the UN data is flawed. The Prime Minister's office says these are fabrications and due to prejudice. Can you explain how you know what you know? We are showing images that we know journalists have shot- journalists who live inside Gaza, because journalists are not allowed into Gaza to report. How do you know that what you're saying is fact?
RUSSELL: Let me say two things about that. One is the IPC, which is the organization that makes this determination, is an independent organization. They're technical people. They're not political people, and they monitor this as they go, and they look at issues like, what are the levels of food deprivation, what's the acute malnutrition level, how many starvation-related deaths, so it's a very technical assessment. And I think we've seen in other places that this is very accurate. I would also say it- to me, it's kind of obscene that we are having these conversations arguing about whether the methodology works or not. We know children are dying, right? I am tired of a discussion about, well, are we giving the right information or not? First of all, let the international press in. Let them make determinations. I mean, we've talked about this, Margaret, of you coming, you should be it yourself. Everyone should be able to get in there. Absent that, we're going to have to rely on the data that we have the people who were there, and I can tell you, from the UNICEF perspective, our people are tortured by this. I mean, I have spoken to our staff, and they are seeing children who are incredibly deprived, many thousands of children who have had amputations, and are, you know, it's just one terrible thing after another for children. And to suggest that there's anything funny going on here is really, in my mind, just- almost making the situation worse, right? Just stop the discussion, stop arguing, and address the problem. Get food in there. Take care of these children, make sure that they have the wherewithal to survive and have a distant future.
MARGARET BRENNAN
And the Israeli government controls who gets in and who gets out. On the question, though, of making sure that the food you do get in gets to the right people: The former US Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, and another Mid-East Envoy have said the UN agencies may not like it, but if the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is the only thing really allowed to operate, then maybe there needs to be some compromise. Why- why not? The United States government is putting $30 million to work there. Why not work with them?
RUSSELL: You know, look, I- the methodology of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is not something that is consistent with the way humanitarians work. That's a simple answer. And honestly, you know, if you think about it, the UN had 400 places where we would distribute aid. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had four, okay? And you have seen on television, you have seen this video of these almost apocalyptic situations where people are streaming towards these places, trying to get food, people are getting shot. It's a terrible situation, and it doesn't work. It's not working that well. Now look, I don't- I don't much care if the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation does some distribution. Just let us our let us do our work, too. Let us in. We know how to do this distribution. And when I say we, it's not just UNICEF, it's the UN, it's the other international NGOs. We do it all around the world. We've done it for decades. We know how to do it. We know how to do it in a way that it gets to the people who need it. And I, you know, do both. I'm fine with that, but at least make sure that humanitarians can get in there and distribute the aid fairly, and make sure that these children are not dying unnecessarily. Nobody wants that. President Trump has said that nobody wants that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He did indeed. I want to ask you, as well, about Sudan, where there was a massive humanitarian crisis. If the United States is not leading efforts to get aid in there, is anyone else stepping up?
RUSSELL: You know, look, the United States has the ability to be such a force for good, and we need them to step up and do more. Sudan, as you say, is the largest displacement crisis in the world. Millions of children are on the move. They are not in school. We now have a horrible outbreak of Cholera, which is very destructive and kills children within hours if they can't get aid. I mean, it is absolutely horrific. And the United States can be such a force for making positive contributions. And I think, you know, other countries are trying, but the US really can make a much bigger difference if they try to do this work, and do it as quickly as possible.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And in Sudan, what is the generational impact here? When you don't look --
RUSSELL: Oh, it's horrible. First of all, they're not getting food. They're facing horrible sexual violence. I was just in Chad and heard stories that could just break your heart, and it's devastating, and the results, as you say, will last for generations.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you for sharing that. That's it for us today. Thank you for watching. I'm Margaret Brennan.
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