For decades, denial has been a cornerstone of Zionist doctrine—not merely as a defensive tactic but as a strategic approach to entrench the occupation and cement its narrative. From denying the very existence of the Palestinian people and the theft of their land, to downplaying mass atrocities and minimizing humanitarian catastrophes, Israel has built its story on a threefold strategy: deny the crime, cast doubt on the narrative, then reverse the truth and blame the victim.
This policy has been starkly evident in the systematic starvation unfolding in Gaza. Israel is attempting to break Palestinian resolve through a deadly blockade. While the world reels from images of emaciated children and withered bodies collapsing under the weight of hunger—and as shocking statistics point to rampant malnutrition and famine—Israel mobilizes its media and diplomatic machinery to distort and deny the truth.
Its instruments of denial range from outright rejection, as seen in Netanyahu’s statements, to shameless deflection like Weitekopf’s appearance beside a banner reading “100 million meals.” Israel also routinely blames third parties such as the UN and Hamas, leveraging soft diplomacy to pressure international organizations, manipulate human rights narratives, and downplay the crisis through selective data and distorted media portrayals.
Blatant Denial
Mounting international pressure and unprecedented public condemnation—from Western nations, no less—is forcing scrutiny on Israel as the primary agent behind Gaza’s humanitarian collapse.
In response, Israeli officials have moved swiftly to deny accusations and reject even the most evident facts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for instance, claimed unflinchingly: “There is no famine in Gaza, and there is no starvation policy.” He dismissed images of skeletal children and fatal hunger statistics as nothing more than a “blind campaign of lies.”
Netanyahu went further, flipping the narrative to paint Israel as the benefactor of aid efforts, even though it halted those very efforts in March. “We allowed aid into Gaza even during wartime. Without that, no one would have survived, and Gaza wouldn’t exist anymore,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer sarcastically denied famine in Gaza, saying: “There’s famine… allegedly,” mocking what he characterized as baseless claims. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar went so far as to call Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “liar” after the latter accused Israel of blocking aid to Palestinians.
Yet this denial isn’t driven by embarrassment or a desire to cover up wrongdoing. Rather, it reflects a belligerent insistence on deepening the crime—if not boasting about it. Amid a devastating famine, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu coldly declared: “There’s no problem with bombing fuel and food warehouses. Let the people of Gaza starve.”
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir offered a stark glimpse into the occupation’s mindset: “The only thing that should be sent to Gaza is bombs, shelling, occupation, encouraging emigration, and achieving victory,” he said.
Shifting the Blame to Third Parties
Israel has deliberately diverted attention to other actors in an effort to evade accountability for the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza. This strategy of systematic denial is designed to escape legal and moral scrutiny on the international stage, particularly as Israel’s global standing continues to deteriorate.
Netanyahu not only denied the existence of famine but repeated claims that Hamas was “blocking and stealing aid.” Yet strong evidence debunks this narrative. A U.S. government internal review found no proof that Hamas had intercepted or stolen U.N. humanitarian aid.
The investigation examined 156 reports of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies by partner organizations between October 2023 and May 2025 and found the allegations unsubstantiated.
The United Nations wasn’t spared either. Netanyahu accused both Hamas and the U.N. of stalling aid deliveries at the Rafah crossing. “There is no excuse for the U.N.,” he declared. “They must stop lying, stop making excuses, and do their job.”
Similarly, Israel’s military liaison office blamed the U.N. for failing to retrieve aid on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
In recent days, Israel launched a coordinated digital campaign targeting the U.N. for what it claims is the mishandling of aid, while presenting itself as absolved. According to fact-checking by Sanad Agency, Israeli-aligned influencers were allowed access to locations where aid had piled up, staging carefully crafted videos to suggest that the U.N. was refusing to distribute food while Israel bore no responsibility.
Among the prominent faces in this campaign was an Israeli government spokesperson who posted: “Israel imposes no restrictions on trucks entering Gaza. The problem lies with aid agencies and U.N. organizations failing to collect and deliver the aid.”
Jewish activist Bellamy Bellucci also featured in several staged videos, filmed amid stockpiled aid, alleging that the supplies had been left to rot and spoil, and accusing both Hamas and the U.N. of perpetuating the crisis.
Downplaying the Crisis in the Media
Israel has deployed its diplomatic and political apparatus to systematically obscure the extent of Gaza’s starvation, issuing carefully worded press releases and curated images of limited airdrops—portrayed as “humanitarian efforts”—while enforcing a blockade so tight that a loaf of bread has become a rare luxury.
This narrative aims to portray Israel as a “humanitarian partner” working to improve conditions, even as it repeatedly denies responsibility for creating them. One of the examples cited is the recent airdrops, which, at best, amount to the contents of two trucks—woefully inadequate.
Even these token airdrops often land in conflict zones under Israeli control, making it impossible for civilians to reach them, according to Gaza’s government media office. What is presented as a humanitarian gesture becomes a propaganda trap, used to whitewash the crime rather than alleviate suffering.
Through temporary “humanitarian corridors,” Israel allowed the passage of aid trucks that met only 15% of Gaza’s actual needs, according to local estimates—an empty gesture aimed at easing global pressure without making real changes to the blockade.
Worse still, these limited aid distributions were accompanied by escalated attacks on civilians waiting in line for food in northern, central, and southern Gaza. Since the beginning of the year through last Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry recorded 1,320 fatalities among those queueing for aid.
As part of its orchestrated “humanitarian” diplomacy, U.S. envoy Steve Weitekopf visited Rafah in southern Gaza to inspect aid distribution centers. He was photographed in front of a massive sign boasting “100 million meals for the displaced,” while just outside the camera frame, lines of starving people waited for food that never came.
Palestinians widely condemned the visit as a farce—a performative stunt co-produced by Netanyahu to deflect mounting international outrage and deliver a false message that the humanitarian situation was under control and improving.
This narrative engineering also includes Israel’s efforts to prevent the formal declaration of famine in Gaza. Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University and an expert in food security, explained that “Israel deliberately obstructed the data collection needed to reveal the full scale of the hunger,” especially given the U.N.’s operational limitations and restricted access.
This view is echoed by international law professor Mahmoud Hanafi, who said the U.N.’s hesitation to officially declare famine is not just due to weak data, but also its reluctance to confront powerful international actors, especially Israel and its allies.
These concerns were validated last year when the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) withdrew a report warning of impending famine in northern Gaza, following a formal complaint by Israel’s ambassador to Washington—underscoring the influence exerted on international institutions.
In the end, Israel may succeed, for a time, in manipulating the narrative and buying time through deceptive diplomacy. But truth cannot be buried under rubble or starved into silence. The famine engulfing Gaza will remain etched in the world’s conscience, no matter how long denial and complicity endure.
