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Starvation in Gaza? The Truth Behind the Headlines

Trucks carrying aid move, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hussam Al-Masri
“Gaza edges closer to famine as Israel’s total blockade nears its third month” (CNN, May 1, 2025).
“Starvation looms as Israel’s total blockade on Gaza enters its third month” (NBC News, May 4, 2025).
“Israel is starving us in Gaza. This is what that feels like” (The Guardian, May 6, 2025).
Once again, various media headlines and NGO press releases are teeming with the news that Gaza is on the brink of famine and mass starvation. In many cases, these forecasts of doom are laying the blame squarely at the feet of Israel and its two-month-old blockade of the coastal enclave.
But is this accurate? Is Israel’s ongoing blockade about to cause a mass famine across the Gaza Strip?
The answer is more complex and nuanced than the sensationalist media headlines would have us believe.
When reading news stories about the alleged ongoing food crisis in Gaza, it’s important to bear in mind that:
- Enough aid entered the Gaza Strip during the second ceasefire in early 2025 to keep Gaza’s two million residents nourished for at least 5 to 6 months.
- The inequality in the distribution of food among the people of Gaza is due to a variety of complicating factors on the ground, including the hijacking of free food aid by Hamas and the exploitation of it for profit.
- The Israeli leadership is currently devising plans to restart the distribution of food to Gaza’s Palestinians without it falling into the hands of Hamas.
- Throughout the war, there have been several claims that a famine caused by Israeli restrictions on aid was imminent. However, none of these famines have ever occurred as forecasted.
- The rate of malnutrition among children in Gaza is roughly equal to the rate of malnutrition that existed prior to the start of the war.
Markets, Restaurants & Food Lines: The Food Aid Situation in Gaza
Following a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in January and February 2025, Israel imposed a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, hoping to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages and accepting more favorable conditions for a renewed ceasefire.
Under this blockade, no aid and materials (including food) are allowed to enter the embattled Strip.
However, in the six weeks between the beginning of the ceasefire and the imposition of the blockade, Israel facilitated the delivery of 338,676 tons of food into Gaza.
According to the World Food Programme’s estimate, this amount of food would be enough to sustain all 2 million residents of Gaza for between 5 to 6 months, while, according to the UN’s estimate, this amount should last the people of Gaza between 6 to 8 months.
Funny how UNRWA suddenly stopped reporting the amount of aid entering Gaza right after the ceasefire began and the number of daily trucks shot up to 600.
Maybe they realized their “starvation” narrative had completely collapsed, with the quantities of food being enough to… pic.twitter.com/hjCXeAvHuk
— Mark Zlochin – מארק זלוצ’ין༝ (@MarkZlochin) April 29, 2025
Now, less than four months since the beginning of the ceasefire, it is clear that there should still be ample supplies of food available across the Gaza Strip.
If so, what accounts for the disturbing images of Palestinian civilians waiting in long food lines?
According to Times of Israel journalist Lazar Berman, the existence of long and chaotic food lines alongside images of Gazans patronizing markets and restaurants (which have yet to receive the attention of the mainstream media) likely points to an imbalance in the distribution of aid within the Strip. While some areas have adequate access to food, other areas either have little access to food or only have food available at inflated and restrictive prices.
One of the main factors contributing to this discrepancy in access to food aid is Hamas itself, which has commandeered a significant amount of this free food aid, either to hoard it or to sell it at inflated prices and to fill its coffers with the profits.
Malnutrition in Children
Alongside stories and images of long food lines, another aspect of the alleged food crisis in Gaza that has received a considerable amount of attention from the media is malnutrition among local children.
In the first half of April 2025, 32,000 children were screened for acute malnutrition. Of those screened, 984 were diagnosed with severe or moderate malnutrition.
While any level of malnutrition among children is lamentable, analyst Mark Zlochin has noted that this level of malnutrition among children (3%) is actually slightly lower than the rate that existed in Gaza prior to the war.
Given the renewed hysteria about alleged “starvation” in Gaza, here are two critical facts:
1) Out of 92,000 children screened for malnutrition in March, only 3,722 were diagnosed as malnourished and enrolled in a malnutrition management program.
That’s 4% – exactly the same…
— Mark Zlochin – מארק זלוצ’ין༝ (@MarkZlochin) April 28, 2025
As part of the media’s focus on malnutrition in children, news outlets will focus on certain examples to provide a human face to this issue.
However, in many cases, the children represented in these stories suffer from pre-existing conditions that can contribute to their ill state. For example, NBC News, CBC News, and CNN all profiled Osama Al-Raqab, a 6-year-old Gazan boy diagnosed with malnutrition. Unlike the description of him as having been “full of life” and “once-healthy,” Osama suffers from cystic fibrosis, a disorder that can lead to malnutrition in even the best circumstances. To blame Osama’s condition on Israel’s blockade is both misleading and manipulative.
In sum, while many media organizations and NGOs seek to portray Israel’s two-month-long blockade of Gaza as the sole cause of impending famine and mass starvation in the region, the reality is much more complex.
It’s time the media acknowledge the complexity, and — above all — stop falling for the Hamas narrative of a non-existent famine in Gaza.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Starvation in Gaza? The Truth Behind the Headlines first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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France Set to Recognize Palestinian State Despite Majority of Citizens Opposing the Move, New Survey Shows

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool
More than 70 percent of the French people oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next week, according to a new study that highlights strong public opposition to the contentious diplomatic move.
A survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) on behalf of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), the main representative body of French Jews, found that only 29 percent of French citizens support Macron’s initiative.
On Monday, France is expected to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York, with a handful of other Western countries — including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — poised to follow suit.
However, the majority of the French people oppose the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, with 71 percent rejecting any recognition before the release of all remaining Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and the surrender of Hamas, according to the newly released survey.
Le Crif publie aujourd’hui un sondage réalisé par l’Ifop sur le thème : « Reconnaissance d’un État palestinien et antisémitisme : le regard des Français ».
71 % des Français rejettent une reconnaissance avant la libération des otages et la reddition du Hamas. Seuls 29 % des… pic.twitter.com/sCjqNUkz4t
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) September 18, 2025
The study also examined how this diplomatic initiative and the ongoing war in Gaza have fueled the ongoing surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across France.
Nearly 70 percent of the French people view antisemitic incidents as a serious threat, not only to French Jews but to the society as a whole, the survey found.
Meanwhile, according to the data, 19 percent of French citizens consider it acceptable to target Jews due to the conflict in Gaza, with the figure rising to 31 percent among those aged 18 to 24.
France has faced sharp criticism from Israeli and US officials who oppose recognizing a Palestinian state, warning that such a move would only reward terrorism, hinder Gaza ceasefire negotiations, and embolden Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that has ruled the enclave for nearly two decades.
Israel is reportedly considering multiple retaliatory measures in response to Macron’s move, including accelerating West Bank annexations, closing the French consulate in Jerusalem, and seizing French-owned sites in Israel, such as the Sanctuary of the Eleona — a Christian pilgrimage destination.
For his part, Macron has pushed back against criticism of France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing that it is a necessary step to counter Hamas.
“The objective of Hamas has never been to make two states, and especially two states as we propose … they want to destroy Israel,” Macron said in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. “The recognition of a Palestinian state is the best way to isolate Hamas.”
The French leader has argued that this move is the only way to bring peace and stability to the region, noting that the terrorist group has never supported a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and would likely oppose a Palestinian state since it would have no governing role.
“Hamas is just obsessed with destroying Israel,” Macron told US television network CBS in an interview. “But I recognize the legitimacy of so many Palestinian people who want a state … and we shouldn’t push them toward Hamas.”
However, the Palestinian terrorist group has repeatedly praised such plans to recognize a Palestinian state as “the fruits of Oct. 7,” citing the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath as the reason for increasing Western support.
France’s expected move has also sparked strong reactions across the country, amid an already tense and hostile climate.
CRIF has repeatedly denounced the recognition of a Palestinian state, calling it “a moral failing, a diplomatic error, and a political danger,” and warned that it would exacerbate antisemitism amid a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes since the Oct. 7 atrocities.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has also condemned the initiative, accusing Macron of supporting it “purely for electoral reasons.”
Meanwhile, France’s left-wing opposition welcomed Macron’s decision, with Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, calling on mayors to raise the Palestinian flag over town halls on Monday.
However, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau asked prefects, the government’s local representatives, not to follow through with such gestures, citing the principle of neutrality in public services and warning that violations would be referred to administrative courts.
“There are enough divisive issues in the country without importing the conflict in the Middle East,” the French diplomat wrote in a post on X.
Several French town halls have been forced to take down Palestinian flags following court rulings.
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‘Jews Forbidden Here’: European Jewish Communities Targeted as Latest Outrages Rock Spain, Germany

The children’s bookstore in Sant Cugat, Spain, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti and slogans, prompting outrage from the local Jewish community. Photo: Screenshot
Antisemitism continues to surge across Europe, with recent anti-Jewish incidents in Spain and Germany leaving Jewish communities shocked and outraged.
On Tuesday, a children’s bookstore in Sant Cugat, a small town by Barcelona, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti and slogans.
An unknown individual spray-painted messages — including “Zionist” and “accomplice to genocide” — along with a Palestinian flag across the bookstore’s facade.
The store’s owner, Mont Soler, voiced her “deepest rejection” of this act of anti-Jewish hatred.
“This attack is not only against my bookstore, but also against the values of coexistence and respect that I have always stood for,” Soler wrote in a post on Instagram.
The Jewish Community of Barcelona (CJB) also condemned the incident, expressing solidarity with the store’s owner and urging the authorities to take action.
“This attack is not just against a landmark bookstore, but also against the values of coexistence, respect, and diversity that should define our society,” CJB said in a statement.
“Antisemitism and all forms of intolerance have no place in Sant Cugat, in Catalonia, or anywhere else,” the statement read.
This incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Wednesday, a shop owner in Flensburg, a small town in northern Germany, ignited outrage by displaying a sign in his store window that read, “Jews are forbidden here.”
The sign also said, “Nothing personal, not even antisemitism, I just can’t stand you.”
According to 60-year-old shop owner Hans Platen-Reisch, the sign was intended as a protest against Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, but he insisted it was not meant to be antisemitic.
“Jews live in Israel, and I can’t tell who supports the strikes and who doesn’t,” Platen-Reisch told a local news outlet.
“To me, it’s hypocrisy. They always say history must not repeat itself, and then they do the same themselves,” he continued.
Social media photos reveal the interior of his shop, featuring a Reich war flag — a symbol used by Nazi Germany during World War II — behind his desk, a RAF poster referring to the far-left terror group Red Army Faction on the wall, and a Palestinian flag displayed in the window.
Shortly after the incident, the Flensburg prosecutor’s office filed five criminal complaints and opened an investigation into Platen-Reisch on suspicion of incitement to hatred.
Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, denounced the incident as a shocking display of hatred and called for swift legal action.
“This is clear antisemitism, with direct connections to the Nazi period, when Jews were boycotted and signs like these were widespread,” Klein said in an interview with German television.
“This must not be tolerated under any circumstances,” he continued.
German Education Minister Karin Prien, the first Jewish woman to hold a federal ministerial post in Germany, also condemned the incident and expressed strong support for the Jewish community.
“Anyone who expresses or justifies antisemitism opposes everything our democratic life represents,” Prien told a local newspaper. “Let there be no doubt: We will not tolerate antisemitism – not in Flensburg, not in Germany, not anywhere in the world.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, voiced his strong condemnation of the incident.
“The 1930s are back! In Flensburg, ‘Jews forbidden’ is once again hanging in a shop window — in the year 2025. Just like back then, in the streets, cafés and shops of the 1930s,” Prosor wrote in a post on X.
“This is exactly how it started — step by step, sign by sign. It is the same old hatred, only in a new guise,” the Israeli diplomat continued.
Die 30er-Jahre sind zurück!
In Flensburg hängt wieder „Juden verboten“ im Schaufenster – im Jahr 2025. Wie damals in den Straßen, Cafés und Geschäften der 1930er.
Genau so hat es angefangen – Schritt für Schritt, Schild für Schild. Es ist der gleiche alte Hass, nur in einer… pic.twitter.com/seZmJ4OPsv
— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) September 18, 2025
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Trump Administration Plans $6.4 Billion in Weapons Sales to Israel, Sources Say

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, Feb/ 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
The Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell Israel $6.4 billion in support equipment and weapons including attack helicopters and troop carriers, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Israel‘s military said it had expanded operations in Gaza City on Friday and bombarded Hamas infrastructure.
The news of the proposed sale came days before world leaders were set to gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly next week, which the UN Security Council is also due to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza.
The planned package includes a deal worth $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and $1.9 billion for 3,250 infantry assault vehicles for the Israeli army.
Another $750 million worth of support parts for armored personnel carriers and power supplies are also working its way through the sale process, one of the people said.
US Republican President Donald Trump’s full-throated support for Israel‘s military contrasts with growing wariness about Israel‘s campaign in Gaza among Democrats.
On Thursday, a group of US senators introduced the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state and more than half of Democrats in the Senate recently voted against further arms sales.
The Wall Street Journal reported the potential helicopter and vehicle sales on Friday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.