Famine Expert: Israel’s Starvation of Gaza Has No Parallel in Modern Times
TruthoutFeb 15
Netanyahu Approves Rafah Offensive Plan
The Facts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans that would see Israeli forces enter the Gazan border town of Rafah, in which over 1M displaced Palestinians have taken refuge. The news came as negotiations between Israel and Hamas seemingly made some progress on Friday.
Hamas presented a new cease-fire proposal on Thursday, positing that, unlike previous proposals, the group was willing to agree upon the end of the war after a deal regarding hostages had been implemented. Though Israel rejected the proposal, it will send a delegation to Qatar for more talks.
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 Gaza since the war began, and have intensified those efforts to facilitate a horrific and dehumanizing situation for Palestinians, with people being forced to drink contaminated water and eat whatever they can find, including grass and moldy potatoes. This level of cruelty is simply unfathomable, and Israel must be held accountable for these atrocious crimes.
Pro-Israel narrative
Regardless of the fallacies reported in the media, at every step of the way, Israel has made extraordinary efforts to spare civilians the brunt of its military might. 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 ways to get aid into Gaza, directly hindering its war effort, yet critics — who have completely forgotten Hamas' atrocities on Oct. 7 — refuse to treat Israel fairly.
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 the situation 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.
Nerd narrative
There's a 67% chance that Israel will have de facto power in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
