Netanyahu denies Gaza famine, claims detained Palestinians are "overweight" while Gaza children die from hunger
By isabelle // 2025-05-29
Copy
 
  • Netanyahu denies Gaza starvation claims, alleging detained Palestinians appear "overweight" based on unclothed photos.
  • UN warns of imminent famine due to Israel’s aid blockade, contradicting Netanyahu’s claims.
  • Critics condemn Netanyahu’s remarks as dehumanizing amid documented child deaths from malnutrition.
  • Israel’s total blockade since March has pushed Gaza into critical famine risk, according to UN experts.
  • Netanyahu dismisses starvation accusations as media lies while deflecting war crimes scrutiny.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed international accusations that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, claiming instead that detained Palestinians appear "overweight" based on photographs of unclothed prisoners. Speaking at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu insisted there is "no mass starvation" in Gaza, contradicting dire warnings from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations of an imminent famine due to Israel’s blockade of aid. His remarks have been condemned as a "shocking denial of reality" as children in Gaza continue to die from malnutrition. Netanyahu attempted to justify his assertion by referencing Israeli military procedures for detaining Palestinians. "We take thousands of prisoners, sort them out into civilians and combatants, and we photograph them... The first thing you do is you tell them, 'Take your shirt off. We want to see that there is no suicide vest.'.. and you don’t see one, not one emaciated from the beginning of the war to the present," he said. "In fact, you see quite the opposite because you don’t get that much exercise, certainly not in tunnels, but you get food." The comments were met with immediate backlash, with critics accusing Netanyahu of dehumanizing Palestinians while ignoring documented starvation. Since March 2, Israel has enforced a total blockade on food, medical supplies, and fuel, pushing Gaza’s entire population into a "critical risk" of famine, according to UN experts. Dozens of children have already died from hunger-related causes.

A deliberate humanitarian catastrophe

Netanyahu’s remarks come amid mounting international condemnation of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023. The UN has repeatedly warned that Israel’s restrictions on aid deliveries have created a man-made disaster, with food shortages so severe that some families are surviving on animal feed. Despite these reports, Netanyahu dismissed starvation accusations as "the current fad, the current lie" that "spreads like wildfire" in the media. He claimed Israel has "supplied [civilians] with essential requirements: food, water, medicine," while omitting the fact that Israel blocked all aid for more than two months earlier this year. Social media users were quick to condemn Netanyahu’s rhetoric. "Netanyahu speaks with the callousness of someone who sees suffering as a spectacle," one person wrote. "To deny starvation while orchestrating a siege is not just inhuman, it's diabolical." Another added, "He’s basically saying that he’s taken CIVILIANS as hostages, stripped them of their dignity, studied them in prison labs and made conclusions about them." Netanyahu also used his speech to attack the global pro-Palestinian movement, labeling it "antisemitic" and framing Israel’s war as a battle for "western civilization." His comments were seen as an attempt to deflect growing diplomatic pressure, including threats of sanctions from key allies like the UK, France, and Canada. Critics argue that Netanyahu’s inflammatory rhetoric is a desperate attempt to justify Israel’s brutal military campaign while evading accountability for war crimes.

A leader detached from reality

Netanyahu’s grotesque dismissal of starvation in Gaza reveals a leader increasingly detached from the suffering his policies have inflicted. While he boasts of detainees being "overweight," Palestinian children waste away from hunger, and entire families are forced to scavenge for scraps. His denial of famine despite overwhelming evidence demonstrates not just indifference but a deliberate effort to obscure the truth. As the death toll mounts and international scrutiny intensifies, Netanyahu’s words are only deepening global outrage. Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net TimesOfIsrael.com PalestineChronicle.com
Copy