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Sunday, August 03, 2025

08/03 Links: The war of moral inversion being waged through the western mind; Hamas: Palestinian state recognition ‘fruits of Oct. 7’; Archaeologists decipher ravaged scenes in Negev after Oct. 7

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: The war of moral inversion being waged through the western mind
If the west really wants to stop the war it would start putting pressure on the aggressor, Hamas, by supporting its victim, Israel, in its demand that Hamas surrenders.

If the west really wants to stop the war it should end its utterly perverse indulgence of Qatar as an honest broker in this conflict, an attitude that has made all ceasefire negotiations a lethal farce that has significantly contributed to the hostages’ continued incarceration and the length of this war. It should instead call out Qatar as a sponsor and protector of Hamas and as a Muslim Brotherhood Islamist front. It should require the issue of arrest warrants for the Hamas leaders living lives of luxury in Doha. And it should demand that Qatar force Hamas to release all the hostages immediately on pain of losing its US airbase and all influence in the west.

If the west really wants to stop the war, it should acknowledge the malignant role of the Hamas-loving, Israel-demonising UN which the US should defund and kick out of New York City as an affront to civilised values.

But of course, the west doesn’t want to stop the war. It wants to stop Israel. And it is now being consumed by Jew-hatred on a scale larger than anything seen since the Holocaust.

We are witnessing a confluence of Nazi-Islamist ideology with a Soviet-style inversion of reality that has taken over huge swathes of the west that are no longer able to think at all. The total repudiation of reason that’s created this terrifying, looking-glass world has resulted from decades of cultural attrition waged by elites determined to destroy western identity and values.

With the unspeakable rebranding of atrocities as conscience in the west, we are living through a war of moral inversion being waged not through bombs or missiles but through the minds of millions.

When pictures of the Belsen death camp were published after the end of the Second World War, people in the west were deeply shocked by the revelation of the Nazis’ psychopathic barbarism. Today, as it casts scarcely a glance at the pictures of the Israeli hostages that echo those shattering images of 70 years ago, the west is empowering the Nazis’ heirs.
Andrew Fox: This Is What Civilisational Decay Looks Like
We have forsaken the fundamental contract of citizenship—the notion that governments are responsible for protecting borders, maintaining order, and upholding shared values. Instead, we have offered rainbow flags, decolonisation seminars, and activist judges.

Then came social media, which has been the accelerant on the bonfire. The enemy no longer needed to smuggle in agents or spread propaganda by leaflet: now all they need is a smartphone and a network. They weaponised our freedoms against us, knowing we would defend their right to do so even as they used those rights to destroy us.

TikTok has become the frontline of information warfare. Instagram reels have replaced sermons. Hamas and its proxies now trend more easily than democratic leaders. Western teenagers, raised on cultural self-loathing and algorithmic radicalization, march in lockstep with genocidal theocrats and believe they are fighting for justice.

The Mask Falls
Then came Gaza. The mask was torn away. Civilizational rift revealed. Overnight, Western streets flooded with hatred. Synagogues attacked. Jewish citizens were threatened and assaulted. Political leaders hesitated. Media outlets repeated propaganda. Universities turned into centres of open antisemitism. Much of the public just shrugged, numb from decades of ideological confusion.

The Gaza war did not cause this. It exposed it. It was the decisive blow that drove the spike into the Western heart.

We are not merely witnessing protest. We are watching the product of years of infiltration and decay: in demography, in economics, in politics, in media, in education, in culture. This is what a society looks like when it can no longer distinguish friend from foe, right from wrong, civilisation from barbarism. Is it too late? Possibly.

The boiling point has been reached. The water is scalding. The frog is done for. Reversing this will take more than a change of government. It will require cultural rebirth. Moral courage. Strategic clarity. A willingness to endure pain to rebuild what we have lost.

The question is: do we still have the will, or has the long sabotage already done its work?
Niall Ferguson: Accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza is a luxury belief— and utterly divorced from reality when there’s a real one happening in Ukraine
This is what makes French, British and Canadian talk of recognising a Palestinian state such a perfect example of a luxury belief. For nothing remotely resembling a Palestinian state exists today. Nor is one likely to exist at any point in the foreseeable future.

Thirty years ago, under the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed with the Palestine Liberation Organisation on the beginnings of Palestinian self-government — “a separate Palestinian entity short of a state”, in the words of the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. One of his successors, Ehud Barak, went even further at Camp David in 2000. But then PLO leader Yasser Arafat walked away from the table.

Have the Palestinians strengthened the case for statehood in the subsequent years? No. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is an oxymoron; Palestinians despise it, and it has no authority. Hamas continues to enjoy significant support in both Gaza and (some polls suggest even more) the West Bank. True, satisfaction with Hamas in Gaza was down from 64 per cent a year ago to 43 per cent in May, according to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, but that was still higher than satisfaction with their rivals Fatah or the PA.

Asked if they supported or opposed the disarmament of Hamas in order to stop the war, 64 per cent of Gazans said they were opposed. Yet the true nature of Hamas was laid bare on October 7, 2023, which should be regarded — and is regarded by most Israelis I know — as an event disqualifying the Palestinians from self-government, not entitling them to it. Nine out of ten Palestinians simply deny the October 7 atrocities took place.

A defining feature of with luxuries is that they are expensive. The same is true of luxury beliefs. The belief that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza, like the belief that a Palestinian state can be wished into existence by western leaders, is a Hermรจs handbag of an idea. It is on a par with the belief that peace can somehow be brokered between Ukraine and Russia without the application of meaningful economic and military pressure on Moscow, an idea that is more of a Patek Philippe watch.

Expend energy on such luxury beliefs and you will not notice the help you are giving the axis of authoritarians to bring about the defeat of the West. Nor will you notice the help they are giving you — through the social media channels they know so well how to manipulate — to be the useful idiot you are.


The 2-state delusion must be scrapped — a 'jihadist' state would solve nothing
Just months after Adolf Hitler started World War II, Winston Churchill smartly summarized why Europe’s hopes for peace had been shattered.

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last,” the new prime minister said in a speech.

His stark imagery mocked the foolish efforts to head off war, infamously led by Churchill’s predecessor, Neville Chamberlain, who insisted Hitler really wanted peace.

Chamberlain was delusional and the global conflict that followed turned his name into a permanent warning about the wages of weakness.

Yet here we go again, with the current leaders of Britain, France and Canada falling into the trap.

Their delusion is that Palestinians, including Hamas and other terror groups, really want peace and will live in harmony with Israel once they have a nation of their own.

The clamor for a Palestinian state is the appeasement of our times.

It travels under the disguise of a “two-state solution.”

Who can be against a solution?

‘River to the sea’
Except a Palestinian state wouldn’t solve anything.

Quite the opposite, it would set the stage for another round of bloodletting.

As such, think of it as the two-state delusion.

That’s what it is because too many Islamists, from Iran to Arab lands and around the world, remain committed to destroying the Jewish state.

They don’t want to live in peace with Israel.

They want to eliminate it.

That’s the essence of the antisemitic chant heard on American college campuses: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Translation: Palestine will be free of Jews, and Israel will be no more.

That isn’t a problem at the Jew-hating United Nations, which held a two-day conference on the topic last week.
Aviva Klompas: Western nations want a Palestinian state. But Arab nations keep their distance
They understand that Hamas does not seek peace, statehood or coexistence. It seeks perpetual war and Islamic revolution.

In contrast, too many in the West are waging an ideological campaign detached from regional reality. In their fervor to stand with “Palestine,” they overlook that Hamas is not a liberation movement. It is a jihadist militia that exploits civilian suffering to manipulate global opinion.

They also forget that, for all its flaws, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East where Arabs and Jews alike vote, protest and serve in parliament.

Hamas has noticed, it has openly praised European governments for their positions on Israel. In Ireland, lawmakers are pushing to criminalize trade with Israelis. Now, as Britain considers recognition of a Palestinian state along with France and Canada, Hamas’ strategy of provocation and propaganda is paying diplomatic dividends.

The result is a surreal inversion: While the Arab nations inch toward coexistence, the West drifts into moral chaos. What was once a principled defense of human rights has morphed into selective outrage, often blind to the region’s realities and exploited by its most destructive actors.

Empowering Hamas will worsen, not improve, life in Gaza
This isn’t just dangerous for Jews and Israelis; it’s corrosive to liberal democracy itself.

When human rights are applied selectively, when terrorism is downplayed or excused and when Hamas’ calls to destroy Israel and slaughter its citizens are rationalized as “resistance,” something fundamental is breaking.

It may be time for the West to look east − not for answers, but for clarity. The Arab world is not embracing Hamas. It’s moving on. It’s negotiating, normalizing and, in some cases, partnering with Israel to contain shared threats.

If the goal is a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, outrage isn’t a strategy. It’s a spectacle. And the people closest to the conflict seem to understand that best.
Hamas demands: Hundreds of trucks to enter Gaza daily 'just to resume negotiations'
The terrorist organization Hamas is now demanding the entry of hundreds of trucks into the Gaza Strip daily as a precondition for returning to the negotiating table, a source familiar with the details of the talks told The Jerusalem Post.

This message was conveyed to the mediators in recent days, as part of Hamas’ new policy of refusing to engage with Israel unless there is a significant improvement in the humanitarian situation.

“There is a growing understanding that Hamas is not interested in a deal,” an Israeli official said.

“We are in discussions with the Americans. As a result, the prime minister is pushing for the release of the hostages while pursuing a military resolution, combined with the provision of humanitarian aid to areas outside the combat zones and, to the extent possible, to regions not under Hamas control.”

Following the visit of US President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Israel and his meetings with senior Israeli officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding discussions regarding the future of the war in Gaza.A broader meeting on the matter is expected to convene on Tuesday, an Israeli official told the Post.

Witkoff told the families of the hostages that Israel and the United States were currently working on a framework to end the war and secure the release of all hostages. At this stage, it is unclear when this plan will be presented and whether it will include an ultimatum to Hamas – either accept the deal or face a full-scale Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. A source involved in the talks said that “formulating a deal with Hamas to end the war will take months. These will be very complex negotiations.”


Hamas: Palestinian state recognition ‘fruits of Oct. 7’
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar over the weekend sharply criticized France, the United Kingdom and Canada for their recent decisions to recognize a Palestinian state, citing a Hamas terrorist who praised the moves as “the fruits of October 7.”

In an interview with the Qatar-based Al Jazeera, Ghazi Hamad said, “The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7. We proved that victory over Israel is not impossible, and our weapons are a symbol of Palestinian dignity.”

In response, Sa’ar asked: “If this is who applauds you, what does it say about you?”

On Saturday, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli slammed French Foreign Minister Jean-Noรซl Barrot, who had condemned images showing Israeli hostages in dire conditions.

Chikli called Barrot “a failed joke,” including a picture of Hamad in the post.

Earlier, Barrot had denounced what he called the “despicable, unbearable” images of Israeli hostages held for 667 days by Hamas in Gaza.


Pope criticised for failure to mention hostages in statement on Gaza
The Pope has been criticised for statements in which he described being “with the young people of Gaza” without any mention of the Israeli hostages who are still in the clutches of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Leo XIV, who took office in May, was presiding over a Mass for the Jubilee of Young People at Rome’s Tor Vergata, with a million people said to be in attendance. In his closing remarks, he talked about how “we are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war.

“My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible, a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.”

The Pope’s words were subsequently also posted on social media, where they were met with disappointment and condemnation for the lack of any mention of the hostages taken on 7 October, which began the current war in Gaza.

In the last few days, both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have released videos of emaciated hostages – Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky. In the section of the PIJ video released to the public, Braslavsky speaks about how he is without food or water, and says: “I am on the verge of death”. In the Hamas video of David, he is forced to dig what he says is his own grave.

“The Pope is doing real damage to Jewish-Catholic relations”, responded Noah Pollack, a senior advisor at the US Department of Education, with close ties to the Trump administration.


Archaeologists decipher ravaged scenes in Negev after Oct. 7
Public tours at an exhibition portraying the events of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel—as seen through the eyes of archaeologists—will open in Jerusalem next week.

This is the first time that the involvement of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in the Swords of Iron war will be presented to the public, starting on Aug. 6.

In the wake of the war, the official body found itself operating in the scene of modern destruction, using its arsenal of archaeological tools and experts to decipher the ravaged scenes in the western Negev.

“Professionals who developed their skills and tools to engage in interpreting ancient archaeology found themselves digging amongst the rubble of just-destroyed houses, and through their unique expertise were able to see and identify the scant human remains, and thus restored their faces, names and memory,” said project director Leora Berry.

Researchers operated in ravaged kibbutzim, burned houses, charred roads and cars, and the open-air Supernova music festival site, the IAA noted.




The Mourning After (Tisha B'av 2025) │ Official Film
After October 7th, Israel faced unbearable tragedy. This powerful film follows the families whose lives were torn apart: Meirav Berger relives the moment she discovered her daughter Agam had been kidnapped to Gaza, and how Agam found strength & faith while held by Hamas. Rafi Arvas opens up about losing his son, Shai, and how he faces the pain. Dor Almog shares his story of survival as the only one left after 21 of his soldiers were killed.

Beeri Hershkowitz speaks about losing his father and having to become the man of the house overnight. And Tal Amarnez tells of losing the love of her life.

These are raw stories of courage, grief, and faith from October 7th and the war in Gaza that you will never forget.


EMERGENCY EPISODE: Don’t Forget Last Hostages in Gaza | I Use Toys To Explain "Bad Guys Took Daddy"
He was supposed to come home. He stayed to help others escape—and disappeared into the tunnels of Gaza.

Follow Rebecca on @bringelkanahome2023 on Instagram to support her struggle

In this heart-wrenching episode of State of a Nation, Rebecca Bohbot, wife of hostage Elkana Bohbot, joins Eylon Levy to share her family’s unimaginable story. For 664 days, Elkana has been held in Hamas captivity after being abducted from the Nova Music Festival. Starved, tortured, and still alive—Rebecca now speaks publicly, demanding the world not forget her husband or the other hostages left behind.

In this emotional and urgent conversation, Rebecca recounts:
• The day Elkana was taken, after staying behind to help others escape
• Why she initially stayed silent—and what made her speak out
• The horrific conditions Elkana is enduring underground in Gaza
• The heartbreaking toll on their five-year-old son, Re’em
• The global indifference that’s prolonging the hostages’ suffering

Rebecca’s testimony is a raw and powerful reminder of what’s at stake in this war—not just for Israel, but for the soul of the free world.

๐ŸŽฏ “They put a photo of our son on the tunnel wall—to torture him with what he couldn’t have.”




IDF soldier in critical condition from third-degree burns after suspected accident
A soldier in the IDF's Caracal Battalion was badly burned while waiting for a conversation with one of his commanders on Tuesday, according to statements on Sunday.

The soldier, who is identified as G, is 20 years old, and suffered third-degree burns to 30% of his body in an incident believed to be an accident when the base's Chief Sergeant First Class lit a cigarette nearby with a soldier pouring gasoline at the scene, leading to an ignition.

G was likely injured as a result of the burning of flammable material leaking from a gasoline container. The incident is under investigation.

The burns affected G's head, face, ears, chest, back, and hands, and he was evacuated to hospital, where he is currently in critical condition in intensive care, according to his sister.

The Chief Sgt. First Class ordered his soldier to pour the gasoline but there are no reports that they knew G was at the scene.


IDF raids weapons trafficking sites in Syria
Israeli troops overnight Saturday completed an operation targeting weapons trafficking networks in the Hader area of southern Syria, questioning several suspects on site.

Acting on prior intelligence and an in-depth field investigation, Israel Defense Forces soldiers simultaneously raided four locations, uncovering a cache of weapons.

Troops from the IDF’s 210th Division remain deployed in the area to prevent the entrenchment of terrorist elements in Syria, with the stated goal of protecting Israeli civilians—particularly residents of the Golan Heights.

On July 22, IDF troops apprehended several weapons dealers during an overnight operation in southern Syria.

“The IDF is operating in the area of separation and in key positions in Syria, in order to ensure the security of the State of Israel and its citizens while adhering to international law,” the military told JNS.


She fed 100K Gazan families for free – now terrorists and local merchants want her dead
In a war-torn part of the Middle East, where corruption and violence often determine who gets to eat and who goes hungry, one woman chose to challenge the system.

When much of the world had written off northern Gaza as unreachable, 30-year-old east-Jerusalem resident Sarah Awaidah and her team carved out a lifeline. Under the umbrella of Mena Aid, a regional partner coalition operating through the Multifaith Alliance (MFA), and in coordination with Israeli authorities, she built a system that moved hundreds of trucks of food and supplies into Gaza – bypassing Hamas and private contractors who had turned hunger into a business.

The result: more than 100,000 families fed. The cost: her own safety. "I never imagined that creating a safe, independent humanitarian route would become the reason my life might end," Sarah Awaidah told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that took place in a safe house in Israel.

"After delivering 346 trucks of aid between September 2024 and February 2025, we reached 100,622 families," Awaidah said. "We decided to scale up distribution on June 30, 2025, at a time when no one was able to get anything into Gaza because of looting, chaos and multiple layers of obstruction on the ground."

Operating through Mena Aid, Awaidah’s team designed an alternative route to deliver food and essential supplies.

In Israel, a trusted logistics company transported the goods from the port of Ashdod to the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. Inside Gaza, another logistics partner handled transport, while Awaidah’s own staff – coordinating in real time with Israel – shadowed every shipment.

"Once the aid crosses into Gaza, it’s picked up by another trusted logistics partner and escorted by our own team members.
Johnnie Moore on FOX News | The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's Johnnie Moore speaks with ‪@FoxNews‬ about how GHF's model bypasses Hamas, false allegations by former security contractor Tony Aguilar, and more.




Mark Levin: Hamas is emboldened by 'reprobates'

For some ‘CRAZY reason,’ the world is blaming Israel for this: Amb. Huckabee

Hamas is relying on an international chorus to do its dirty work: Tom Cotton

‘Utterly evil’: Israeli hostage forced to dig own grave in horrific Hamas video
Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy reacts to an “utterly evil” clip released by Hamas of an Israeli hostage who is being held captive in Gaza.

“For 666 days, the psychopaths of Hamas have been holding the hostages in hell,” Mr Levy said.

“I really thought we saw the worst and sickest of Hamas’ propaganda … but making a hostage dig his own grave for the cameras while he’s being deliberately starved is a reminder of how sick and twisted and utterly evil Hamas is.

“Instead, world leaders are trying to pressure Israel, and Hamas now has absolutely no reason to let the hostages go … this really needs to be a wake-up call to the whole world.”


Chikli criticizes Piers Morgan over Gaza casualty post
Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli on Sunday sharply criticized Piers Morgan after the British broadcaster and journalist appeared to accuse pro-Israel figures of hypocrisy.

“It’s interesting that all the prominent pro-Israeli voices on here who refuse to believe any Gazan casualty numbers published by the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, accept the veracity of hostage pix/videos posted by Hamas without hesitation,” said Morgan on Saturday.

Chikli called the statement “utterly disgusting.”

Morgan was apparently referring to propaganda videos released last week by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad showing the dire condition of Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski.

On June 24, Morgan devoted nearly 15 minutes of his YouTube talk show to denying accusations of antisemitism, following pointed criticism from Chikli. The minister had chastised “Piers Morgan Uncensored” for what he called a “sharp and troubling descent into overt antisemitism,” citing the show’s platforming of antisemitic figures like Candace Owens and Dan Bilzerian.

During their heated exchange, Morgan repeatedly shouted over Chikli and insisted he had never made antisemitic remarks, framing Chikli’s critique as a personal attack. The controversy has prompted several pro-Israel former guests to announce a boycott of the show, citing what they describe as Morgan’s escalating hostility toward supporters of Israel.


Sydney protesters chant ‘long live the intifada’ at anti-Israel march
Tens of thousands of protesters marched on Sunday in an anti-Israel demonstration in Sydney, Australia, under the banner of the “Walk for Humanity.”

The protest took place amid growing domestic pressure on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to follow the United Kingdom and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state.

Organized by the Palestine Action Group Sydney, the march came in response to calls by the Hamas terrorist group for global mass demonstrations marking the anniversary of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

Protesters marched across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge despite heavy rain and strong winds, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel. Some banged on pots and pans to protest the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. A parallel demonstration took place in Melbourne.

Some participants reportedly chanted slogans such as “long live the intifada,” referring to waves of suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and wounded thousands.

Protesters also reportedly called for the death of Israel Defense Forces soldiers and waived Hamas and Islamic State flags.
Anti-Israel Sydney Harbour Bridge protest calls for death of Israeli soldiers
Sky News host James Macpherson discusses the anti-Israel Sydney Harbour Bridge protest, which had approximately 90,000 participants.

“Sydney Harbour Bridge was shut down today as 90,000 anti-Israel protesters marched for humanity,” Mr Macpherson said.

“Who knew marching for humanity meant calling for the death of Israeli soldiers or waving Hamas flags, Taliban flags and images of the supreme leader of Iran.”




Albanese will ‘cave in’ to pressure from pro-Palestine marchers
Former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger reacts to Sydney’s pro-Palestine march, which temporarily shut down the Harbour Bridge.

“There’s a reason the left demonstrate because in the end, weak, Western governments cave in to mass demonstrations,” Mr Kroger told Sky News host Paul Murray.

“He [Anthony Albanese] is going to recognise Palestine, which would be extraordinarily premature.

“Of course, he’ll cave in on this … this demonstration was effectively there solely to pressure Albanese and to intimidate people.”




Pro-Palestine protesters march in Melbourne
Pro-Palestine protesters have gathered in Melbourne to protest against the war in Gaza.

This comes as pro-Palestine protesters have also gathered in Sydney to march across the Harbour Bridge.




‘Death to Jews’ Gazan who arrived in UK illegally by small boat back in prison
A Gazan who called for the killing of Jews and who arrived in the UK through crossing the channel in a small boat has been re-imprisoned after breaching his licence conditions.

Palestinian Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas, also known as Abu Wadee, was sentenced to nine months in prison in May after pleading guilty to trying to enter the UK on 6 March without leave or valid entry clearance.

He documented his journey through Europe – including his arrival in Britain on a cramped dinghy – on his TikTok profile. His videos have attracted up to 2.5 million views.

The Mail on Sunday reports that he was released in June, after having served around three months, as part of the government’s scheme to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons.

According to the paper, he was recalled to prison early last month for breaching his licence conditions and will now serve the remainder of his nine-month sentence behind bars.

Wadee’s social media accounts feature him posing with a rifle and clashing with Israeli forces.

In one video published on his Facebook page in September, Wadee filmed himself for Allah to “punish [Jews] completely”.

"Allah, it is upon you to [deal with] the Jews and those loyal to them,” he said, according to a translation by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera).

"Allah, kill them one by one, and don't leave a single one. Allah, destroy them completely, disperse them completely and make the earth fall from under their feet.”


UKLFI: Express and Mail reported to IPSO for distortion of truth about Gaza famine
The Daily Express published a full-page close-up photograph of a skeletal 18 month child, unfortunately afflicted by congenital illnesses, on its front page with the headline “The suffering of little Muhammed shames us all”.

This photograph, from a series taken by a Gazan photographer, was used to illustrate and exemplify an alleged famine in Gaza, suggesting that children in Gaza generally were starving. The accompanying article described the image as “encapsulating the ‘maelstrom of human misery’ gripping Gaza.”

This coverage was quickly followed by articles using similar photographs of the same child in other media including the Daily Mail, The Times, The Guardian and Sky News.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has now reported the Daily Express and Daily Mail to the Independent Press Standards Organisation, IPSO.

Although the Express article mentioned that Muhammad was born with health problems affecting both his brain and muscle development, it shamelessly exploited this poor, sick, child with serious congenital illnesses to present a false image of general starvation.

The article in the Mail used a photograph of the same child with no reference to his medical condition.

The photographer is a journalist who specializes in photographing seriously ill, skeletal children in Gaza, together with their non-starving mother, as can be seen on his Instragram account, and selling them to photographic agencies.

While the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult for the civilian population, who are undoubtedly suffering badly due to the war, the general population is not skeletal. If the population were generally starving, groups of adults and children would have been photographed looking emaciated.

David Collier, the investigative journalist found that the child featured in the photographs published in the media suffered from congenital disorders and that his brother, aged 3, and mother were evidently not starving, as shown by contemporaneous photographs, including some that were cropped in the media to show poor baby Muhammad without his healthy, non-starving sibling.


Christian-Jewish organization delivers emergency aid to persecuted Syrian minorities under threat
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews swiftly mobilized its resources in July to aid persecuted Syrian Druze and Christians facing what some have called a genocide carried out by jihadists in southern Syria.

Syrian-backed forces, including jihadist fighters, launched attacks against Syrian Druze in the southern part of the country, resulting in the murders of at least 1,400 people, including a 35-year-old Syrian American from Oklahoma, Hosam Saraya, who was visiting family in Syria.

"Once we saw what was happening in Sweida, we could not turn a blind eye to it." International Fellowship of Christians and Jews President and Global CEO Yael Eckstein told Fox News Digital.

Her organization, she noted, had never operated in Syria prior to this year but said her organization "got an urgent call from a hospital from Sweida, and they needed basic medicines, surgical care, ICU medicine and equipment, first responder equipment and masks for morgue workers."

The Fellowship coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to deliver medicine and equipment to Sweida. Eckstein said her group supplied "retired Israeli ambulances to Syria so the locals can operate them."

The majority Druze city of Sweida was a focal point of the siege executed by Syrian Islamists loyal to new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former member of U.S.-designated terrorist movements, al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

According to Christian Broadcasting Network, Christians were also targeted. Islamists reportedly murdered Khaled Mazhar, pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Sweida, along with 11 family members. An additional person survived the massacre of Christians because the Islamists thought she was dead.


Hundreds visit Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av
Hundreds of Jewish Israelis, including government ministers, visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday, the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av.

In a departure from previous years, police authorized singing within the Temple Mount compound.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Isaac Wasserlauf were among those who visited the site.

Ben-Gvir, speaking from the Temple Mount, addressed the release of disturbing videos by Gazan terrorist groups of emaciated Israeli hostages. He described the footage as part of Hamas’s ongoing efforts “to create pressure on the State of Israel.” He emphasized that the Temple Mount itself served as evidence that “sovereignty and governance are possible.”

“Precisely from here, a message must be sent,” Ben-Gvir asserted, outlining his prescription for responding to Hamas. He called for Israel to “conquer all of Gaza, declare sovereignty over the entire Strip, take down every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary migration.”

According to Ben-Gvir, only by taking these steps could Israel hope to secure the release of hostages and achieve victory in the current conflict.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Western Wall on Tisha B'Av
As Tisha B’Av ended, Speaker Mike Johnson led a U.S. delegation to the Western Wall.

“We’re grateful to stand here today and pray that America always stands with Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem.” ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ


Episode 33: Thoughts for Tisha B’Av - We live in history
Our Patreon subscribers asked for a dvar Torah, a short homily, on the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, which commemorates many of the great tragedies of Jewish history, including and especially the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem millennia ago.

Tisha B'Av, Haviv argues, is a window into the Sages' conception of history, their view of the brokenness of the world reflected in the tragedies of history, and the power of the study of history to mend that brokenness.






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