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New York Times Peddles ‘Fabricated Stories’ About Gaza Aid
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
A series of recent New York Times articles have promoted the false impression that Israel is starving Gazans.
The Saturday, May 31 edition of the New York Times carried a haunting front-page photograph of a skeletal child with the cutline “Hunger Tightens Its Grip on Gaza” and the further text, “Aid began to trickle into the territory last week, almost all of it arriving at southern distribution centers. But there is never enough. Above, a girl, 6, in Gaza City, in the strip’s north.”
What the front-page photo cutline does not say but is discernible with further research in the Times online, is that the child in the picture, Najwa Hussein Hajjaj, “needs specially prepared meals because of an esophagus condition,” and that “the Jordanian authorities, who heard about her case, are trying to evacuate her to receive medical care abroad.”
What’s to blame, Israel or the esophagus condition? In any case, systems for evacuating the sickest Gazans are apparently operating and would be operating even better if more countries like Jordan were willing to accept more Gazans.
The Monday, June 2 edition of the New York Times advanced the narrative with a top-of-the-front-page headline: “Over 20 Killed at Gaza Aid Site.” The Times article began, “More than 20 people were killed on Sunday and more than 100 wounded when Palestinians who had gathered overnight in the hope of obtaining food from an aid distribution center in Gaza came under fire, according to local health officials.”
The Wednesday, June 4 edition of the Times carried another front-page article, headlined, “Israel Again Opens Fire on Gazans Near Aid Hub.” The article began by reporting, “The Red Cross and Gaza health ministry said at least 27 people had been killed.”
The Washington Post ran a correction of its own article on this subject, saying it “fell short of Post standards of fairness,” and that “the Post didn’t give proper weight to Israel’s denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings.” Yet there has been no correction from the New York Times, which was just as irresponsible.
Here’s what the New York Times is not sharing with its readers on the front page. The American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in a “Statement on Media Misinformation on Gaza,” said, “Reckless and irresponsible reporting by major US news outlets are contributing to the antisemitic climate that has resulted in the murder of two young people at an Israeli Embassy event in Washington last month and the attempted murder and terror attack on a group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado on Sunday.”
Ambassador Huckabee went on: “Without verification of any source other than Hamas and its collaborators, the New York Times, CNN, and Associated Press reported that a number of people seeking to receive humanitarian food boxes from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund were shot or killed by the Israeli Defense Forces. These reports were FALSE. Drone video and first-hand accounts clearly showed that there were no injuries, no fatalities, no shooting, no chaos. It is Hamas that continues to terrorize and intimidate those who seek food aid. The only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of antisemitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States.”
Said Huckabee, “For the New York Times, AP, and CNN to be part of a Hamas-fed false narrative is reprehensible. It represents more than mere sloppy journalism. It’s feeding and inciting violence against innocent people in the United States.”
The Times appointed a former United Nations employee, Lauren Jackson, to criticize the non-Hamas aid program in Gaza. “For most of the war, experienced groups like the United Nations have distributed aid,” the former UN employee wrote for the Times. Israel claimed that Hamas had diverted the aid, but “that couldn’t be verified by the Times, and the UN said it was exaggerated,” wrote Jackson, the former UN employee reporting on the UN for the Times. Her article included the photo of Najwa Hussein Hajjaj, while identifying her incorrectly as “Hussein Hajjaj” and again failing to include either the context about her esophagus condition or the context about her possible evacuation to Jordan.
The Israeli government arm Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, also released a recording of a Gazan explaining that on Sunday maybe seven or eight people were killed, and that the Hamas terrorists were the ones who fired on the people. “The people who fired were Hamas terrorists. They don’t want the people to receive aid, they want to foil the plan so that the aid will go to them, allowing them to steal it … They’re criminals, like ISIS, they have no compassion for their own people.” An Israeli government spokesman also released video: “Watch with your own eyes: Hamas shoots at civilians in Gaza to prevent them from reaching aid distribution points.”
Anyway, there are at least two two sides to this story. The Hamas terrorists say Israel is starving the Gazans and murdering the Gazans seeking food aid. The Israeli and American government says the Hamas terrorists are shooting the Gazans seeking food aid. The Times is just giving its readers the Hamas side of the story, falsely depicting Israel as starving innocent and otherwise healthy Gazan children.
Ambassador Huckabee said, “Media sources who willingly parrot these libelous allegations should recant their fake news stories, apologize, and pledge to practice actual reporting of fact instead of engaging in dangerous propaganda that assists the terror group Hamas as they continue to hold innocent hostages for over 600 days after butchering over 1,200 people on October 7th.” He’s right.
Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. He writes frequently at TheEditors.com. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here.
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Ritchie Torres Says Netanyahu Has Done ‘Irreparable’ Harm to Democratic Party Relationship With Israel
US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) standing at the US Capitol in February of 2023. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in Congress, delivered pointed criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, saying the longtime leader has “done harm” to Israel’s relationship with the Democratic Party and called for an end to the war in Gaza.
“If you’re a Democrat, and if you’re a Democrat of color and if you’re a Black Democrat, you take immense pride in Barack Obama. He represents one of the greatest achievements in politics. We take great pride in his presidency,” Torres said in an interview with . “To see a foreign leader visibly disrespect him in the manner that Bibi Netanyahu did, I feel did irreparable damage to the relationship with the Democratic Party.”
Torres offered a gloomy assessment of Netanyahu’s relationship with the Democratic party, arguing that “the damage may be irreparable.” He also cautioned that support for the Jewish state is rapidly “eroding” according to various polls.
Furthermore, Torres stated that despite his strident support for Israel, he does not “consider myself having a good relationship with the Israeli government.”
Torres said that Netanyahu “made a terrible mistake” in establishing a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, arguing that the Israeli premier politicized the US-Israel relationship. The progressive lawmaker said that there is a “legitimate perception that the present Israeli government is just aligned with the Republican Party.”
The remarks represent a notable shift from Torres, a New York Democrat who has historically defended Israel amid bipartisan divisions over the war. While maintaining his commitment to Israel’s security, Torres said Netanyahu’s government has failed to articulate a clear endgame in Gaza and warned that the ongoing military campaign is undermining both humanitarian values and strategic interests.
“There’s a real need to end the war, secure the release of the hostages, bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in distress.”
Torres cited prominent Israeli journalists and media figures that have warned that Gaza has approached “catastrophic” levels of hunger and that famine might be looming without a rapid policy shift.
Torres’s comments come amid growing pressure from the Democratic base on centrist and progressive Democrats alike to take a firmer stance on Israel’s military operations, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel launched its campaign following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Torres’s comments underscore a growing divide within the Democratic Party over the U.S.-Israel relationship. While the party remains broadly supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself, a significant faction ,including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) condemned the war in Gaza and called for a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel.
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Israeli Defense Firm Lands Huge Deal With Germany
An Elbit Systems Ltd. Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is seen at Elbit’s drone factory in Rehovot, Israel, June 28, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Orel Cohen
On Monday, Elbit Systems Ltd., a military contractor based in Israel, announced it had received a $260 million government contract from Germany to spend six years installing Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) self-protection systems for defending Germany’s A400M aircraft fleet.
The contract is just the latest in a string of blockbuster deals between Israeli defense firms and international militaries. Israeli defense exports to Europe jumped to 54% of overall defense exports last year, up from just over 33% in 2023, according to the Israeli media outlet Globes.
Elbit’s defense system works to counter infrared-guided missiles, with a focus on mobile anti-aircraft weapons. It offers the ability to track missile threats as they happen and also provides automatic protection without needed human action.
Other countries which have deployed the system include Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil. In February, Morocco announced plans to purchase 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems from Elbit, making Israel the country’s third largest weapons supplier.
“This contract further strengthens Elbit Systems’ position as a leading global provider of DIRCM solutions,” Elbit president and CEO Bezhalel Machlis said. “Our systems are already trusted by numerous air forces and defense organizations around the world, and we are proud to support Germany in enhancing the protection of their strategic air assets. Our successful collaboration with Airbus DS on this important program is highly valued, and we are pleased that our advanced self-protection systems will contribute to the safety and operational readiness of the German A400M fleet.”
The announcement prompted Elbit’s share price to jump 1 percent on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).
Since Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Israel’s financial markets have been buoyed by significant foreign investment and renewed investor confidence. Over the past year, the TASE has repeatedly broken past its all-time highs, despite Israel’s multi-front wars.
On Friday, Germany announced that it would not join France in recognizing a Palestinian state. A government spokesperson said “Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government” and that “the German government therefore has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.”
On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the country had no plans to sanction Israel and that “for now, we want to await the foreign minister’s trip and the talks that will be held with the Israeli government in the coming days.”
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Israel Says Brazil’s Exit From IHRA Shows ‘a Profound Moral Failure’
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts after meeting with Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
The Brazilian government has not yet confirmed its reported decision to withdraw from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), however both Brazilian media and the Jewish state have have done so.
On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X that “Brazil’s decision to join the legal offensive against Israel at the ICJ [International Court of Justice] while withdrawing from the IHRA, is a demonstration of a profound moral failure. At a time when Israel is fighting for its very existence, turning against the Jewish state and abandoning the global consensus against antisemitism is both reckless and shameful.”
On Wednesday, reports emerged of Brazil’s plans to join South Africa in charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has argued the case against Israel since December 2023.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Shay Salamon, Director of Hispanic Affairs, condemned Brazil’s withdrawal from IHRA in a Friday statement.
“The Brazilian government’s move is not only irresponsible, but also deeply alarming at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide,” Salamon said. “Denying the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and abandoning its Working Definition of Antisemitism minimizes the Holocaust and disregards the history of a people who have been victimized by hatred for ages.”
Salamon stated that “Brazil is home to the second-largest Jewish community in Latin America, including many descendants of Holocaust survivors, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has now turned his back on them. This decision, on top of his constant attacks on Israel, further confirms what was already clear — President Lula has normalized antisemitism in his official discourse. His approach represents neither neutrality nor diplomacy — rather, it’s complicity.”
Fernando Lottenberg, who serves as Organization of American States (OAS) Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, offered his analysis of Lula’s move in a thread of posts on X, saying that “this is a step in the wrong direction.”
“Although Brazil has not adopted the [IHRA antisemitism] definition nationally, it has been adopted in 12 Brazilian states so far, as well as in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo,” Lottenberg wrote. “The IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism is an important tool that, although not legally binding, has been adopted by more than 45 countries and 2,000 institutions around the world to help inform, identify, and combat antisemitism.”
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