() In an interview on ” Now,” Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York, denied reports of starvation in Gaza.
Akunis added that Hamas is doctoring photographs of what is happening in Gaza. He cited images of a young child used by Hamas to illustrate hunger in the region that Akunis says is instead a young boy receiving treatment for cystic fibrosis in Italy.
“There’s no starvation in the Gaza Strip,” Akunis told .
He acknowledged there are hungry people in Gaza but said that is due to Hamas stealing humanitarian aid as opposed to the situation being the will of Israel.
“Of course, we can see that there are hungry people in the Gaza Strip, but there is no campaign to starve the Gazans,” Akunis said.
“And that’s what Hamas is telling you: that we are doing it on purpose. And the truth is totally different; actually, it’s the opposite.”
President Trump announced Monday the United States will build food centers in Gaza as the United Nations World Food Programme reports 100% of Gaza faces “acute food insecurity.”
“We can save a lot of people. I mean, some of those kids are [sic] that’s real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can’t fake that,” Trump told reporters.
Israel announced Sunday that its military would pause operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours a day until further notice to allow for the improved flow of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where concern over hunger has grown, and designate secure routes for aid delivery.
Akunis took umbrage with the term “starvation,” repeatedly denying its existence in the Gaza Strip while acknowledging there are hungry people.
“They are not starving. I cannot accept the word ‘starvation,'” he said. “This is a word that Hamas took, it’s like the Nazis’ propaganda, to take words and to repeat the lie time after time after time.”
Akunis said Israel has no culpability in Gazans going hungry, suggesting it is doing all it can by shipping humanitarian aid despite criticism from its people for doing so.
“We are still doing it. Why? Because we don’t want them to be hungry,” he said.
