Tag: starvation

  • Starvation as strategy: Netanyahu’s war crimes and America’s shame

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    Palestinians gather at an aid distribution point near the Zikim border crossing in a desperate attempt to receive limited flour supplies in Gaza City, Gaza, on July 29, 2025. [Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency]

    by Jasim Al-Azzawi

    Moral outrage and political tsunami

    The pièce de résistance in the political tsunami that swept across parliaments, streets of world capitals, and podiums, culminating in a cascade of recognitions for Palestine, was Israel’s starvation campaign. A deliberate deprivation that tore through the veil of diplomatic neutrality. When images of emaciated children and hollow-eyed families flooded the world’s screens, the silence shattered. From Madrid to Brasília, from Pretoria to Dublin, governments that once tiptoed around the issue found their voices. Chile, Spain, Norway—each stepped forward, not out of political convenience, but because the moral cost of inaction had become unbearable. The campaign was not just a humanitarian crisis—it was the moral rupture that forced the world to choose: complicity or conscience.

    This rupture was not born in isolation. It followed months of mounting evidence, from UN agencies and human rights organizations, that Israel’s siege on Gaza had crossed every red line of international law. The deliberate targeting of food supplies, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the weaponization of starvation are not just morally abhorrent—they are prosecutable war crimes under the Rome Statute. And yet, the United States, long seen as the indispensable power in global diplomacy, chose silence. Worse—it chose endorsement.

    The US endorsement of Israel’s starvation siege on Gaza is not just a policy misstep—it is a grotesque moral betrayal that will haunt the nation’s soul and forever brand President Trump’s legacy with shame. To support the deliberate starvation of children is to stand on the wrong side of humanity. The harrowing images of skeletal Palestinian toddlers conjure the darkest chapters of history—ghastly reminders of Jewish children in Nazi death camps. That such horrors are now mirrored with American complicity is a stain that no amount of spin or silence can erase. This is not hyperbole—it is history repeating itself in grotesque imitation. The very nation that once vowed “never again” now finds itself employing the same tactics it once condemned. And the man at the center of this moral collapse is Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Netanyahu, drunk on his cunning, believes he can outmaneuver justice, stretching the Gaza war like a smokescreen to dodge the noose tightening around him at home. In his desperate bid for survival, he’s not just burying Gaza in rubble and grief; he’s dragging America’s reputation through blood-soaked mud, staining it with shame and criminal complicity. Every day this war drags on is another day the US is tethered to a man who treats human suffering as a political chess piece.

    READ: ‘Unimaginable’ hunger: US doctor in Gaza reports children starving to death due to Israeli blockade

    Like a modern-day Macbeth, Netanyahu clings to power with bloodied hands, convinced that his mastery of manipulation can outwit fate. He drags the Gaza war endlessly, not for strategy but for survival, hoping the fog of war will obscure the reckoning awaiting him at home, the noose tightening with every indictment and protest. In doing so, he mirrors the tyrants of history who believed brutality could buy them time—Milosevic in the Balkans, Pinochet in Chile—men who misinterpreted carnage for control. And as he orchestrates this siege, he pulls the United States into the mire, staining its legacy with complicity, shame, and the kind of moral failure that history never forgets. Gaza burns, and with it, the illusion that this war is anything but a desperate man’s gambit.

    What makes this moment especially perilous is the semi-silence of American institutions. What would it take for the growing dissent within the US Congress, the media, and civil society to reach a critical mass that convinces President Trump to pressure Netanyahu into ending the conflict in Gaza? Where is the moral clarity that once defined American leadership? The answer lies in a toxic blend of political inertia and strategic delusion—a belief that supporting Israel, no matter the cost is a geopolitical imperative. But this calculus is crumbling. The world is watching, and the moral ledger is being written in real time.

    Trump, Netanyahu, the donor class, and the GHF death trap   

    President Trump must awaken to the peril of Netanyahu’s war of deception. This is not a statesman’s struggle—it is the desperate theater of a man cornered by scandal, clinging to power through destruction. If Trump continues to tether himself to Netanyahu’s intrigue, he risks allowing Netanyahu to drag him into a moral and political abyss from which there may be no return. History is merciless to those who stand beside tyrants in their final acts. The bloodshed in Gaza is not just a humanitarian catastrophe—it is a trap. And unless Trump distances himself now, he will find his legacy shackled to a war that was never his, but whose shame will be his to bear.

    Why does President Trump allow Netanyahu to run circles around him, dragging his reputation through blood and betrayal? The answer is simple: money and influence. The Zionist lobby and donor class that bankrolled Trump’s rise now demand unwavering loyalty to Israel, even as his MAGA base grows disillusioned. “My people are starting to hate Israel,” Trump reportedly warned a prominent Jewish donor. Yet the financial leash remains tight, and Trump’s silence is bought at the cost of his legacy. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a private aid contractor with no prior experience in humanitarian relief, has become a grotesque symbol of failure and cruelty. Designed as an alternative to UN agencies, its distribution sites have turned into death traps. Over 1,400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food, shot by Israeli soldiers working alongside GHF contractors. Retired U.S. Green Beret Anthony Aguilar, who served as a subcontractor, testified: “What I witnessed were war crimes—indiscriminate violence against starving civilians.” 

    OPINION: Israel at a crossroads: Warnings from within on war crimes and the cost of denial

    The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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  • Trump’s envoy visit to Gaza is a ‘publicity stunt,’ says Hamas

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/trumps-envoy-visit-gaza-publicity-stunt-says-hamas

     Smoke rises amid destroyed buildings following an Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, August 1, 2025

    HAMAS branded US President Donald Trump’s special envoy visit to Gaza a “publicity stunt“ today.

    Steve Witkoff’s visit comes as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave rapidly deteriorates and killings continue.

    Medical sources in Gaza reported that at least 38 people were killed by the Israelis today, including 12 aid seekers, with more than 80 people wounded.

    The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) denied anyone was killed at their sites today and said most recent incidents had taken place near United Nations aid convoys.

    Mr Witkoff visited the south of the strip today as international outrage continues to grow over starvation, shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites.

    …

    All four of GHF’s sites have become flashpoints during their months of operation, with starving people scrambling for scarce aid. 

    Hundreds have been killed by Israeli gunfire.

    …

    Hamas said today that the visit by Mr Wikoff to Gaza “is nothing more than a publicity stunt aimed at containing the growing outrage over US-Israeli complicity in starving our people in the strip.

    …

    See the original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/trumps-envoy-visit-gaza-publicity-stunt-says-hamas

    Trump and Epstein
    Trump with his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein
    Donald Trump and his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein.
    Donald Trump picture with one of his wives, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
    Donald Trump picture with one of his wives, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
    Donald Trump pictured with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislane Maxwell.
    Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein and one of Trump’s daughters.

  • The REAL Reason Gaza is STARVING – EX-UN Chief Drops BOMBSHELL

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    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
  • Children in Gaza dying at ‘an unprecedented rate’: UNICEF

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    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    6-year-old Misk al-Madhoun, who weighing only 4 kilograms, struggle with both brain atrophy and severe malnutrition caused by hunger in Gaza City, Gaza on July 31, 2025. [Khames Alrefi – Anadolu Agency]

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday urged the international community to act swiftly to prevent the mass death of children in the Gaza Strip, where conditions continue to deteriorate amid Israel’s ongoing war, Anadolu reports.

    “Today, I want to keep the focus on Gaza, because it’s in Gaza where the suffering is most acute and where children are dying at an unprecedented rate.

    “We are at a crossroads, and the choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die,” Ted Chaiban, UNICEF deputy executive director, said at a briefing on his recent travel to the Middle East.

    Visiting both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including both Gaza and the West Bank, Chaiban said this was his fourth visit to Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

    “You see the images on the news, and you know what has happened, but it’s still shocking when you’re there; the marks of deep suffering and hunger are visible on the faces of families and children,” he said.

    READ: Gaza tribal leaders denounce US-Israel aid distribution system as ‘humiliating, soaked in blood’

    Over 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, he underlined.

    “Gaza now faces a grave risk of famine. … One in three people in Gaza are going days without food, and the malnutrition indicator has exceeded the famine threshold, with global acute malnutrition now at over 16.5%. Today, more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition,” he added.

    What is happening on the ground is “inhumane,” he said, adding that what children need from all communities is a sustained ceasefire and a political way forward.

    When asked whether he sees any difference after more and more countries are airdropping aid into Gaza, Chaiban said: “Look, at this stage, every modality needs to be used, every gate, every route, every modality, but airdrops cannot replace the volume and the scale that convoys by road can achieve.”

    Chaiban stressed that it is needed to move back towards a volume of around 500 trucks a day through all routes, and that includes both humanitarian and commercial aid.

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    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
    UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
  • German chancellor calls Gaza situation ‘unacceptable’

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    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Germany, on July 22, 2025. [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “unacceptable,” according to media reports. Anadolu reports.

    “One thing is clear to us: The situation there is unacceptable. It must end as quickly as possible. As long as it (this conflict) continues, at least a minimum of aid, medical assistance, and food aid must be guaranteed for the population. And Israel, of course, bears a considerable degree of responsibility for this,” Merz told journalists in the southwestern city of Saarbruecken.

    Despite the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Germany has been one of the EU states to reject sanctions against Israel.

    This was one of the reasons why EU governments were unable to agree on a proposal from the European Commission. The Commission proposed temporarily suspending Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe research funding program.

    According to Merz, his government will soon decide on the next steps in the Gaza conflict. He expects a report from Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul once he returns from his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Saturday.

    “We will await this report and make all further decisions,” the chancellor said when asked whether the German government could imagine participating in sanctions against Israel.

    READ: Ben-Gvir slams German FM over Palestine statehood recognition plans

    The government had already discussed in the Security Cabinet last Monday “how we might proceed together with our European partners,” he added.

    Germany’s center-right government is under mounting pressure to adopt a tougher stance on Israel over what international human rights organizations say is a genocide in Gaza.

    The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,200 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.

    On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s health care system.

    Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

    Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.​​​​​​​

    This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.
    Vote Labour for Genocide.