Recently so many sources (or "sources") exploit the topic of hunger in Gaza that I feel obliged to write something about it. Truly, wars are tragic. Always. Those that were fought in ancient times and known to us through poems like Iliad and those that we watch on screens of our TVs. They are ugly, brutal, tragic and bring calamities to countless victims. Hunger is and was part of warfare (intended or not) throughout the history. Below some of my reflection about what is shown and what use are these pictures put into.
1. Hamas not only started this war, in extremely brutal way, it was also provoking other military interventions in Gaza trough terrorist attacks, kidnappings or rocket fire. Once the conflict escalated Hamas was always trying to cause as many civilian casualties as possible among Gazans to use them for propaganda purposes. Organizing launching pads and military posts inside mosques, hospitals, schools or kindergartens was serving this purpose. According to international law such places ceased to be civilian structures protected by international law when they were used for military purposes. Nevertheless we always hear about "attacking the hospital" (or a school, or some other civilian structure) even if they are use precisely for the purposes excluding them (by law) from protection. And this propaganda is used by Hamas. Somehow the similar fate of civilian buildings used in other wars in a similar way is understood by public as leading (regretfully) to loosing the protection and becoming yet another military structure.
2. There were recently published quite a few pictures of hungry children from Gaza in the media. Some of them are truly horrible. Except.... some of them show emaciated children with well fed caregivers or (in some instances) with milk bottles. Some of these children were recognized as suffering from genetic diseases (one is treated in Italy, one in the USA, of these recognized and named). It is a portrait of human tragedy, but not connected to hunger or even (in this instance) to war. Such diseases consume thousands of children around the world and usually their pictures appear rarely. And if such pictures appear they create compassion (rightly so) but no anger. Yet these pictures in media are weaponized to sell the story of widespread starvation in Gaza. Children with similar medical condition look the same almost all over the world (with few exceptions of well developed countries with the right to medical care on high level).
This child shown above, with genetic condition, is already treated in the American hospital, yet Al-Jazeera used his picture as proof of Gaza hunger. His name is Fadi al-Zant and he suffers from cystic fibrosis since his birth. Two of his brothers died due to this genetic disease long before the war, as unfortunately die children around the world. In the USA 300-400 hundred ill die of this disease yearly. Expensive treatment only prolongs life a bit.
3. There is another child looking very malnourished, whose image was used by New York Times to illustrate alleged hunger in Gaza: Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, about 18 months, with his mother, Hedaya al-Mutawaq. It is truly a haunting photo. Yet few days later NYT had to put editors note explaining that the child has numerous genetic diseases and his emaciated state is because of pre-existing state of his health. His healthy looking siblings were edited out of the picture. New York Times make editorial explanations and.... a group of so called pro-Palestinians vandalized New York Times building accusing the paper to support Israel.
4. Pictures of Yezidi girl (made 10 years earlier in Iraq), small children (made in 2018 in Syria) and few others were also used in this campaign. They were made in other time and place and the victims shown on them are entitled to their privacy. Does it mean nobody in Gaza is hungry? I don't know. I suppose many people are. War is extremely hard, especially on children, elderly, ill, poor. They are suffering and I wish this war to cease as soon as possible. And definitely there are some in Israeli authorities who are not doing everything to alleviate this suffering. Yet Israel is providing food for Gaza in stark contrast to other warlike situations before and today. Also, all that is needed to finish this war is for Hamas to give up arms and return hostages. If they care about civilian population why don't they.
5. The simple answer is they don't. They don't care and both Israel and the world fell into this trap. Israel, by trying to press Hamas into negotiations by restricting some help, and the world blaming Israel (and exclusively Israel) for the state of affairs in Gaza. Had Hamas wanted a state - it would have one, Israel left Gaza 20 years ago and provided together with EU and the USA finances for starting of its economy. Had Hamas wanted for suffering of Gazans to end - it would have capitulated or at the very least returned the hostages (not even to mention not starting the war). Had Hamas wanted help to increase it would cease interfering with its distribution.
Hamas today broke the talks with Israel about ceasefire (which it does time and time again). It also claimed victory in the war. Because victory for Hamas is not creating Palestinian state (they don't even have it in their Charter - check yourselves). It is not finishing suffering of civilians in Gaza. It is destruction of Israel. If it might be done using suffering of Gazans and creating the story of fake hunger, so much better for the terrorists. And since France's President and UK's PM promise recognition of the State of Palestine if war lasts till September all Hamas needs to do is wait till September creating more hysteria against Israel. As Michael Rubin writes in American Enterprise Institute publication:
"Macron and Starmer virtue signal. They know that an independent Palestine today would be a failed state and a toehold on the eastern Mediterranean for Turkey, Iran, or other terror sponsors. The French and British move would also empower radicals at a time of political transition: Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is 92 years old and in the 20th year of his elected four-year term; he has selected no successor, and so Palestinian factions manoeuvre for position.
By handing Hamas a victory and allowing it to claim that its actions enabled independence, both Paris and London show Hamas tactics work and allow it to claim victory.
If Palestine wins independence due to Hamas terrorism, but the peaceful movements in Somaliland, South Yemen, and the Syrian Kurds languish, every potential separatist group—legitimate or not—will learn the lesson that terrorism works."
So this "victory" of Hamas (hopefully to be avoided) will not only be calamity for Palestinians (not for Hamas billionaires living in Qatar) and Israel, but for the rest of the more or less law abiding world - that would be a massage that terrorism, lies and disregard for human lives (including civilians at the same side that militants) pays off.
6. Please pay attention that among horrible pictures presented as starving Gazans there are no adults, no older/ multiply children, no elderly, no groups of people. These are individual, small children who subsequently turn out to be from other conflicts or suffering from rare diseases. And yet if there is hunger it touches all people. And pictures of Gazans receiving food, while disturbing (long lines for food, children with empty dishes trying to get food) and sad are far from pictures of starvation. Please compare yourselves:
Somalia above - more children and evidently not ill, but starved
Yemen where 85,000 children died of hunger
7. Yet today Hamas released pictures (and movies, but those are not available at the request of the families) of two really starving people in Gaza:
Rom Braslavski
Both captured on Nova Festival. Both in their early 20s. Both almost 3 years held hostages, starved, tortured. Just for being Jews. Just for being Israelis.
Is Israel handling the situation perfectly? For sure not. But somehow nobody pays attention to the fact that Hamas shows greatest disregard for Palestinian lives. And Israeli army is the only one providing supplies for enemy population during the wartime.
Excellent text. Do you also have Polish version?
ReplyDeleteI used to but now that everyone can translate I have only English. For a long time I had Polish on separate site but the blogging site was just removed by the owner.
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