Israel denies starvation in Gaza, Australian J-com leaders say it’s real

Australian Jewish advocacy groups, community leaders and politicians have rejected the Israeli government’s denial that people in Gaza are starving, with responses across the political spectrum calling for urgent assistance to Palestinians who are suffering from lack of food and medicine.

As reports and images of Palestinians dying from malnutrition spread across global media last week, The Jewish Independent approached more than a dozen Jewish groups and prominent individuals for comment about the catastrophe. Only a few had previously spoken out or taken action in response to the unfolding crisis.

However, all those who responded to TJI’s approach – regardless of their political disposition – acknowledged that the starvation was real and that urgent action needs to be taken. While there were marked differences in relation to who they hold responsible for the catastrophe, their responses collectively expressed an emphatic rejection of the denial issued yesterday by Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to Australia.

In a media briefing in Canberra, Amir Meron told journalists that claims of starvation amounted to Hamas propaganda and relied on “false pictures” presenting a distorted view of the situation in Gaza.

“We don’t recognise any famine or any starvation in the Gaza Strip,” Meron said. “This is a false campaign that is being [led] by Hamas, taking advantage of sick children in order to show a false claim and false presentation of hunger and starvation."