Starvation in Gaza?

 

(This picture is AI and not intended to be seen as real. I just put images with all my articles). 

I have taken my time addressing the starvation of Gazans in Israel's war against Palestine. For a couple of reasons.

1) There is heaps of evidence that starvation is happening. In fact denials that it is happening are coming from a place of ignorance about how a war like this unfolds. A trapped population with no control over their trade, no ability to grow their own food, in a war zone will suffer starvation. Even if aid is distributed some will hoard food and others will starve. It happens in refugee camps often as well.

2) But there is also so much counter information that muddies the waters. There are hundreds of aid trucks in Gaza. False images are floating online that advocates of Israel’s actions latch onto. Netanyahu is himself a master of messaging, not to be trusted, but often listened to anyway. Hamas is like a prison gang, so we don't want to just accept their claims. But the Israelis leaders are master propagandists and flood the internet with counter claims to obscure what they are doing. Every nation does this in war. So it is hard to determine what is happening. This is why the term fog-of-war exists.

3) Journalists are banned from Gaza. This tends to vindicate claims of atrocities against Palestinians are occurring. Militaries tend to want to keep journalists away from their distasteful actions, but this creates a dearth of information. It is intended to do this so that the highly advanced Israel can try and control its narrative.

4) Even without starvation, Israel's crimes against civilians are manifest and clear. As are Hamas's, but the ledger has now a far longer column on Israel's side, and claims that everything they do to Palestinians is Hamas's fault are falling flat. That's what our premiers did during covid, they blamed those that did not want the Vax for all their abuses of power. This sort of blame shifting falls short on those who pay attention to events, and more people are informed about the situation in Gaza than any other international event.

Hence, I have chosen to hold off commenting, because the waters are murky.

However, now I have heard enough from all sides and various sources to piece together what is happening, and it explains why there is propaganda for both sides.

The reason that Israel can show images and videos of Palestinians eating is because there is a concentration of aid in the south for the Gazans. Those down there appear to have relatively good access to it. This does not mean that they aren't facing all sorts of issues. It simply means that there are more Israeli propaganda opportunities in that small enclave where they are herding Palestinians. Israel focuses their messaging on what aid is being offered in the south.

But in the north and across the rest of Gaza the aid is not being very well disseminated. Hence there is starvation, death and disease at horror levels in the rest of Gaza.

Israel have been open that they want to push the Palestinians out into the Sinai, or that Europe should take them. Concentrating them in the south helps achieve this ethnic cleansing. It is a step towards it. You might hate that term, but that is what it is.

This is why there are so many reports coming out of Gaza that people are starving. Those who refuse to budge are being collectively punished with no or very little aid and are being coerced into moving south. But those who do move south have to move through a battlefield, and they risk being shot, bombed or otherwise attacked, or caught in crossfire.

Waiting to hear from a range of journalists and commentators has helped me piece together why we are getting mixed reports. Special credit goes to Judge Napolitano, Max Bluementhal, Jeffrey Sachs and others.

Note this week two prominent Israeli organizations, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, have called out what their own country is doing. Surely no one can say that these organizations hate their own country? If you love someone you call them out when they are doing wrong. Right?

Also your days of saying it is only Hamas propaganda are coming to an end. Only those ideologically driven to support Israel because of theology or political funding still believe this anyway. The rest of us look on in horror.

This video gives some good context.