Ruthie Blum: Where is the ‘humanitarian aid’ for the hostages?
Finally, Biden added, “We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several. I won’t stand by. We won’t let up, and we’re gonna pull out every stop we can to get more assistance in.”David Collier: BBC News – obsessive, biased- and unaccountable
He failed to mention that nearly 15,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the war. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), only 1.5% were refused entry, on the grounds that they contained forbidden “dual-use” items—those that could be employed for terrorist purposes.
Biden also forgot to point out that Hamas steals most of the goods that make their way into the Strip, hoarding some of the food for its terrorists while selling the rest to noncombatants at exorbitant prices. And it commandeers all the fuel to keep its tunnels operational.
This is in addition to the travesty of international agencies—chief among them UNRWA—being in complete cahoots with Hamas. Obviously, then, getting the supplies to the people for whom they are intended has been challenging, if not downright impossible.
Meanwhile, those of the 134 remaining hostages in Hamas captivity who are still alive have been receiving no assistance of any kind, not even from the International Red Cross. Some require medication for chronic conditions. Others aren’t being treated for serious wounds sustained during the Oct. 7 massacre. But all are subsisting on half a pita per day—malnourished to the point of starving.
The actual number of “innocent civilians” in Gaza is debatable, since even 10-year-olds there have been aiming RPGs at IDF soldiers. There is no question, however, that the hostages being held in physically and sexually abusive conditions in the dungeons of Gaza are guiltless victims of a genocidal onslaught.
Theirs is the plight that the world should be highlighting. Instead, the “humanitarians” are calling on Israel to cease its battle against Hamas.
Biden, Meloni and anyone else whose heart is bleeding over the crisis in Gaza ought to be reminded that this war would end instantly if Hamas were to surrender and free the hostages.
Since that’s not happening, Israel has no choice but to force the release of the hostages through increased military pressure, and ultimately to demolish Hamas. This is the sole acceptable scenario for anyone in his—or her—right mind.
On Friday (1 March), BBC News published the latest findings from their ‘fact-checking’ flagship ‘BBC Verify’ – looking at the 100+ deaths that occurred during the chaos surrounding the aid convoy in Gaza.Gaza deal close to collapse: Hamas refuses to list living hostages
BBC launched BBC Verify last year – a unit comprising of 60 journalists to help fact-check, verify video, and counter disinformation. Intended to be a gold standard in the age of fake news, BBC Verify has just ended up being another obsessive anti-Israel propaganda outfit.
While BBC Verify do not actually come to any conclusions over the aid convoy deaths, the piece is heavily slanted to blame the Israeli army for the deaths.
This latest ‘fact checking’ story rested heavily on one key eyewitness – a Palestinian journalist called Mahmoud Awadeyah. This is what he told the BBC:
This eyewitness account provides the backdrop for BBC Verify to imply that ‘Israel did it’. BBC News then rely on one other witness – the interim hospital manager at al-Awda hospital, to drive home the claim.
But there is a larger problem. BBC Verify don’t actually verify anything here. They just take these people at their word and publish these statements without question.
Anyone who follows my work knows that I always check Journalists where I can. Research has shown that 50% of the journos in Gaza appear to work directly for Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Who exactly is Mahmoud Awadeyah that the BBC relied on to create their BBC Verify headline?
The BBC’s source – Mahmoud (Al) Awadeyah
Mahmoud Al Awadeyah posted an account on his FB from the scene. He has an IG account as well and uses both Awadia and Al Awadia on his social media.
He works for Al Quds Today and the Tasnim News Agency. Tasnim is an Iranian news agency set up and controlled by the IRGC.
The negotiations for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal were near collapse, Israeli media reported on Sunday, after Hamas refused to provide information on the status of the remaining hostages in the Strip.
Representative from Hamas, Qatar, and the US have arrived in Cairo, Egypt, for a renewed round of hostage negotiations. The Israeli delegation is thus far absent, with a KAN News report quoting an official as saying that the delegation "will not leave until a response from Hamas is received."
The Hamas delegation is being led by the terror organization's deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official told Reuters. Al-Hayya was the Hamas official leading the Islamist group's delegation for the Cairo hostage negotiations in February. He has previously acknowledged that Hamas has military capabilities in Rafah.
As per Israeli reports, Qatar informed Israel that Hamas's response leaves little room for progress in talks.
Deal not close to being finalized
When asked if a deal was imminent, Reuters noted that a Palestinian official familiar with the ongoing talks said that one was not yet even close to being finalized.
An Israeli delegation was initially expected to arrive in Cairo to take part in the talks. However, according to KAN, Israel has since denied its participation, citing Hamas's refusal to provide information on the wellbeing of the hostages.
The Israeli response comes after a senior Hamas official told the London-based Qatari news outlet The New Arab that the terrorist group would not be releasing information on the wellbeing of any of the hostages until a ceasefire is enacted.