by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
Israel strives to end all Hamas control. That’s created a vacuum over food distribution and
rage over the level of hunger.
Gazans Go Hungry as Hamas, Israel and Clans Battle for Control
Bloomberg reports Gazans Go Hungry as Hamas, Israel and Clans Battle for Control
A top Hamas police commander met in mid-March with the heads of a Gaza clan who’d been commandeering aid meant for hungry Palestinians. He told them to stop taking the shipments or they’d be killed. A week later, that commander was killed — by Israeli troops.
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The Israelis weren’t acting at the clan’s request. Rather, all three — Hamas, clans and the Israeli military — are engaged in a bloody battle for control of north Gaza and aid distribution, making an already troubled process more dangerous and unreliable. Famine is a threat, and people are beginning to die of hunger, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The dead commander, Fayeq al-Mabhouh, had organized a safe route so that those who’d been desperately making bread from animal feed got wheat flour, according to a senior Hamas official and several others on the ground, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Israeli troops killed several others working with Mabhouh, Gazans say, and the safe route died with them.
A recent UN-backed report said famine is imminent in northern Gaza where 70% of the population is on the brink of starvation. Some aid groups have accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon in its war against Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas operatives broke into Israel, killing, abusing and abducting hundreds.
Shimon Freedman, a spokesperson for the Israeli military’s civilian affairs department, denied the accusations. His department issued a rebuttal to the UN-backed report on starvation, saying it “contains multiple factual and methodological flaws, some of them serious.” The rebuttal adds, “We outright reject any allegations according to which Israel is purposefully starving the civilian population in Gaza.”
IPC Famine Report and Israel’s Rebuttal
- The lead image is from the IPC Famine Report
- Israel issued this Humanitarian Aid Rebuttal.
Israeli Rebuttal Conclusion
We do not take lightly the assertions of international organizations such as the IPC. As detailed above, we note there are inaccuracies in the report as well as failing to mention Israel’s considerable efforts to improve the humanitarian situation. Israel is attentive to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and is working proactively with partners to provide relevant aid to the population and calls on the international community and the aid organizations to continue to work together for this purpose.
Stepping back a level, I did not find any allegation in the IPC report that said Israel was purposely starving Gaza civilians. However, I don’t doubt such allegations have been made.
