The war in Gaza needs to end. I say this as a Jew and a Zionist. The fighting needs to stop; all the hostages need to be released; food, water, fuel and medicine need to be allowed into Gaza; and both the Israelis and Palestinians (but not Hamas) living in Gaza need to decide what comes next. Having said all this, “In Gaza, pictures of hunger and history” by Robin Givhan (Strib Voices, Aug. 4) gives a very one-sided view of what is transpiring in Gaza. Even the picture included in the article of a mother holding her “malnourished child” seems to ignore that the other child in the picture has a nicely rounded face and does not appear to be starving. The author of the article also alleges that a report issued last week by Cogat (an Israeli agency), which pointed out that a widely circulated picture of an emaciated child did not mention that the child has a genetic condition contributing to his appearance, was not true. This despite the New York Times acknowledging its mistake by not presenting the full picture with the child’s healthy-looking sibling.
We also need to be very clear that there are still 50 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas, of which 20 are still thought to be alive — and they also have limited access to food and water and no access to health care, as those hostages that have been released have told the world. This past weekend’s videos of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who has been held hostage for over 660 days, digging what may be his own grave in a tunnel, is also part of the history being recorded and was taken by Hamas and released by Hamas. The dilemma we all face with regard to Gaza is knowing what is true and what is not.
I have no doubt that the people of Gaza are not getting enough food, water, fuel and medicine. But we have also heard at various times of the huge amounts of these products being sent to Gaza but not getting to civilians, according to the United Nations, which recently stated only 10% of food aid sent to Gaza got distributed. In addition, the New York Times has reported that the prices to buy sugar ($106 for a 1 kg bag) and flour ($305 for a 25 kg bag) in a Gazan market are out of reach for most people. Israel needs to continue to do all it can to provide access to food and water for the Palestinians living in Gaza, and Hamas needs to do all it can to end the war by freeing the remaining 50 hostages, agreeing to a ceasefire, as Israel has repeatedly agreed to, and allowing the civilians in Gaza to have access to the needed supplies being provided.
Sheldon Berkowitz, St. Paul
In contrast to what Givhan writes, one may want to read the July 31 Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled “Gaza Starvation Photos Tell A Thousand Lies.” The author, Eitan Fischberger, documents food stored in Gaza but not distributed because of the Hamas-inspired chaos. Hamas cannot win on the battlefield but it can accomplish its goals if it turns the world against Israel.