Palestine

Starvation in Gaza Used as Weapon of War, Says EU

MAR 13 2024·Updated MAR 20 2024

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The Facts

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that Gaza's humanitarian crisis is "manmade," and accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, which the nation vehemently denies. Gaza's health ministry reported that at least 27 people had died of starvation in the last two weeks.
BBC News
The UN used a new land route — an Israeli military road — to deliver food to northern Gaza on Tuesday for the first time in three weeks, after aid agencies warned that at least 576K Palestinians, or around one-quarter of Gaza's population, are on the brink of famine.
Reuters
The US has sent four additional logistical support ships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to build a floating pier in order to deliver aid to Gaza. The military said the pier will be operational in about 60 days and facilitate the delivery of up to 2M meals a day.
Military Times
Contradicting reports that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal, Hamas said on Wednesday that it hadn't received "an international offer for an extended ceasefire in Gaza, the gradual return of the displaced, or a delegation heading to Cairo to discuss the details." US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that any "offer from Hamas to start releasing prisoners [...] would be welcome news."
The Jerusalem Post
The Israeli Knesset passed an amended wartime budget on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party stating that the budget "guarantees the continuation of the war until complete victory," while also benefiting Israeli citizens and the broader national economy.
The Times of Israel
Meanwhile, as millions of Palestinians and Muslims across the globe fast for Ramadan, concern has grown that violence risks escalating in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Palestinian worshippers were allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday, following reports of Israeli forces beating back groups of people the night before.
Al Jazeera

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The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel is purposefully creating a famine in Gaza at a rate unprecedented in the post-WWII era. Israeli forces have been blocking food, water, and other necessities from entering the strip since the war began, and have intensified those efforts to create a horrific and dehumanizing situation for Palestinians, with people being forced to drink contaminated water and eat whatever they can find, including grass. This level of cruelty is simply unfathomable, and Israel must be held accountable for these atrocious crimes.

Truthout

Pro-establishment narrative

Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US is committed to preventing malicious actors from threatening Israel's legitimate concerns. However, the Biden admin. is losing its patience with Netanyahu's intransigence. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly getting out of hand, and must be remedied. The Biden admin. is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Palestinian civilians and is now taking its own steps to alleviate this dreadful situation.

NBC

Pro-Israel narrative

Regardless of the fallacies reported in the media, Israel has made extraordinary efforts to spare civilians the brunt of its military might at every step. The UN — which has consistently demonstrated its anti-Israel bias — and its incompetence are the primary cause of the current food shortages in Gaza, which will hopefully be remedied soon. Indeed, Israel keeps facilitating more and more routes for aid to get into Gaza, directly hindering its war effort. However, critics — who have completely forgotten Hamas' atrocities on Oct. 7 — still refuse to treat Israel fairly.

The Jerusalem Post