Ali Shaaban, a well-known Israeli Arab influencer and popular Instagram personality, responded in a new video to questions from followers who claimed he was ignoring the suffering of Gaza's children. In his response, he explained that he is not staying silent but instead chooses to speak the truth, even if it's painful.
"You keep asking me in the comments why I don't talk about the suffering of Gaza’s children," Shaaban began. "Let's talk about their suffering. First of all, I never deny that the children of Gaza suffer and that they are innocent and not responsible for the October 7th massacre. But I also don't forget that Gaza's children are not only suffering because of the war..."
"They suffer from the restrictions that Hamas has imposed on them since the day they were born. They suffer from schools that have turned into electric warehouses and houses that have become human shields. They suffer from education that teaches them that being a martyr is more important than childhood, and that murder is the way to paradise. They suffer from media that plants in their minds that all Jews are monsters and that blood is the only solution," he added.
Shaaban continued by blaming Hamas leadership for the suffering: "The children of Gaza have no shelters, no hope—not because Israel wanted it, but because their leaders chose missiles over infrastructure, tunnels over hospitals and schools. They suffer because there are leaders who hide their own children in protected homes outside Gaza, and send other people's children to die in the name of 'resistance.'"
Shaaban concluded with a personal statement: "You accuse me of not talking about the suffering of Gaza's children? I do speak about it, but sometimes the truth hurts, and you simply don’t want to hear it. Because when I talk about Gaza's children, I talk about their right to live, not to die. About their right to learn to love, not to hate. And about their right to have leadership that protects them, not exploits them. Think about it for a moment. It’s worth considering."
