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Following reactions to @BillAckman’s post on famine and BILD’s exposé on staged hunger in Gaza, it seems that what’s obvious to those familiar with the facts is far from clear to others. The question remains: Is there famine in Gaza? And is it staged? Any definitive “yes” or “no” without the concise clarification below would be inaccurate. Let’s be clear: In most of Gaza’s poor and displaced areas, people receive food and meals on a daily basis in an organized manner—and often get plenty of gifts, snacks, and extras. When they arrive at the food distribution point, they receive their meals in an orderly, calm process. (You’ve probably never seen the tens of thousands of videos from NGOs distributing food peacefully, with everyone smiling, full, and satisfied—simply because that’s not the narrative the mainstream media wants you to see.) Is that famine? No. It’s hardship, inconvenience—it’s less comfortable than opening your fridge at home. But it’s not famine, and that is, in fact, the reality in most of Gaza. This is what a war zone looks like—especially on the losing side, which in this case also started the war. (They were displaced because Hamas used their residential areas as terror bases, and because most of the civilians elected Hamas—a terrorist organization whose official founding charter openly calls for the destruction of Israel—as their representatives. A minor detail, of course.) In addition, there are slightly more organized areas—about 30% of Gaza—that have not been damaged or have been only partially damaged, where you can find fully functioning shops, markets, restaurants, and even malls. Sometimes they close briefly due to temporary shortages or evacuation orders. Then there is Hamas itself, which has stockpiled enormous amounts of food for its own fighters and leadership for the long term, with the aim of surviving and profiting by selling it to civilians at exorbitant prices through its agents. And beyond that, there is a tiny percentage of people who truly suffer—remote and poorer areas that may occasionally miss a meal, or even two. Now to the question of staging—are the scenes staged? When we say a scene is “staged,” we don’t mean children finished breakfast, left a villa in expensive clothes, drove in a limousine, arrived at a studio, changed into ragged clothes, and started filming themselves screaming and crying. We mean something entirely different: When food is being distributed at distribution points, Gazan journalists are there waiting. (When we say “Gazan journalists,” note that almost all are affiliated with Hamas—some actively, others as supporters.) These journalists essentially direct “the scene.” They instruct certain children on how to behave, how to present themselves, when to cry, etc. All the videos you’ve seen of children screaming with empty pots actually come from this exact form of staging. Without the journalists and cameras, the children would simply be standing in line calmly, happy and full, waiting for their food. So, to be clear: Are we talking about well-fed children, swapping identities from kids living in comfort to ones pretending to be starving? No. Are we talking about children who have daily access to food and water in a distribution area, but when journalists arrive they are asked to act as if the situation is dire and they truly lack food and water? Yes. The same applies to many scenes of IDF strikes. There’s a recurring pattern that collapses under a bit of thought (and that’s the point—Hamas counts on the overwhelming power of visuals over the much rarer habit of thinking): we see footage of a missile hitting a building; hours later, videos of injured and dead being pulled from the rubble, with women wailing in the background. In many documented cases, if Gazan cameramen know a missile is about to hit and position themselves perfectly to capture it, that usually means the people in the building also know it’s coming—and evacuate. This too, in many cases, is what we call staging. It doesn’t mean a missile didn’t fall. It doesn’t mean there’s no war. It also doesn’t mean no one dies. But there is a lot—an awful lot—of manipulation involved: distorted casualty numbers, presenting terrorists as civilians, partial or complete staging, and more. That’s a separate and even more sensitive subject. Hamas long ago declared that its main weapon against Israel is propaganda—not rockets, not tunnels, which are merely secondary tools—bait to drag Israel into the propaganda swamp it still doesn’t know how to navigate. The reason is simple: they cannot defeat Israel on the battlefield. The calculation should be straightforward: Hamas is a terrorist organization + controls the media in Gaza + has openly declared its goal to erase Israel + is willing to die and sacrifice civilians for that goal + is religiously permitted (and in some interpretations obligated) to lie to achieve it (taqiyya – a doctrine in Islam allowing concealment or deception to protect oneself or advance a cause) + has been caught lying countless times + is boosted by the mainstream media’s rush to blame Israel = …? With your permission, let’s climb just a little higher: How is it possible that over nearly two years of alleged famine in Gaza, they’ve done everything to find children in real malnutrition—without success—and instead presented children with genetic disorders? Why the need for so much propaganda and manipulation if you’re telling the truth? Why steal so many photos of starving people from other countries—places like Yemen, Sudan, or Somalia? Why are there hundreds of luxury restaurants operating in Gaza today? How can there be thousands of food influencers in Gaza, still posting recipes and meals with abundant ingredients daily? Why is it that in most videos we see, people appear healthy and well-fed, with clean, ironed clothes, trimmed hair, shaved beards, full of energy, filmed in high quality on modern iPhones—always charged, always with perfect reception—while in genuinely famine-stricken countries we see nothing even close to that? Even children in truly famine-hit countries always have an apathetic, tired expression, and show no special interest in the camera. The answer is simple: the famine they present is nothing of the sort. It’s far from it. The fact that Gaza gets 100 times the global media spotlight compared to anywhere else, while other places suffer 1,000 times more with zero headlines, is hypocrisy—but more than that, it shows there’s a bigger game being played behind the scenes by powerful actors who want this narrative. “Is there famine in Gaza?” There is hardship in some areas, and abundance in others. “Is the famine staged?” Turning hardship into “famine” through exaggerated scenes, asking children to stand with empty pots for the camera, to scream and cry—that is absolutely staging. This middle-ground reality is hard for the public to grasp—because it requires explanation, because people crave absolute good-vs-evil answers, and because it’s not viral. This, I believe, is what Bill means when he says every claim should be examined thoroughly before being published. That’s what we would expect the mainstream media to do. And it’s the last thing the mainstream media will do—because what it cares about is chaos and outrage that will grab and inflame the public as much as possible (not to mention each journalist’s personal motives) The fact that there are many places where suffering is 1,000 times worse than in Gaza, yet they interest no one and get zero coverage, is proof enough that those shouting “famine in Gaza!” have been manipulated and made victims of propaganda—whether the claim is true or not. And if you know you’re talking about Gaza because you’ve been subject to endless propaganda pushes, you should ask why they want to push it so aggressively, even at the expense of the truth—and whether you aren’t falling for a deliberate falsehood. The massive use by Gaza’s civilians of high-end cameras, polished, youth-oriented viral video editing—all show they know exactly the job they’re supposed to do and what’s expected of them. This is unique to Gaza compared to any other crisis zone in the world, and it says a lot. That’s why it’s both a right and a moral duty to think carefully about what interested parties want you to see—versus what is actually happening. By questioning narratives and seeking the full picture, you uphold the very principles that protect truth and morality. x.com/BillAckman/sta…