MK Benny Gantz, the Chairman of the Blue and White Party and former IDF Chief of Staff, issued a strong rebuttal to recent accusations made by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In a post shared on social media, UNRWA claimed, "The Israeli Authorities are starving civilians in #Gaza. Among them are 1 million children. Lift the siege: allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines."
Responding to the statement, Gantz said, "As someone who has spent over 40 years in Israel’s Security Establishment - both as IDF Chief of Staff & Minister of Defense, I can say this unequivocally: Not only has Israel never starved or targeted civilians, but it goes above and beyond to protect civilians in the most complex of war zones like Gaza."
He emphasized that the responsibility for civilian suffering lies with Hamas. "We must be clear - culpability for harm inflicted on civilians rests on terrorist Hamas and Hamas only."
Gantz also criticized the role of UNRWA, stating that Israel is working to remove Hamas' control over humanitarian aid, whether directly or through what he described as "compromised agencies like UNRWA."
Calling for international support, Gantz urged the world to back the American-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) initiative and to reject what he termed "the manufactured claims of 'genocide.'"