The claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address to the US Congress that Hamas is stealing the food aid to be delivered to Gaza and that Israel does not deliberately target civilians do not reflect the truth.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim in his address to the US Congress that "If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking it. It's because Hamas is stealing it" is not true.
Israel's claim that 'Hamas is stealing aid' has been repeatedly denied by the Directorate of Communications' Centre for Combating Disinformation.
On October 9, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated about the Gaza blackout, "There will be no electricity, no food, no water, and no fuel." Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly." This statement refutes Netanyahu's claims.
Oxfam, a UK-based international charity, has stated that Israel exercises "total control" over aid entering Gaza, including its timing, location, and the manner in which it is distributed.
The claim "Israel took necessary precautions”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement during his speech at the US Congress, claiming that "Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civil harm than any military in history and beyond what international law requires," is untrue.
According to the data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, 39,145 Palestinians, including 16,172 children and 10,798 women, have been killed; and 90,257 people have been injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7.
In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly requested that the International Court of Justice "render its opinion on Israel's prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory."
In addition, the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel has been engaged in systematic discrimination in the region and that its construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, is illegal.
The claim "Israel does not deliberately target civilians”
The claim made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his speech to the US Congress that “Israel does not deliberately target civilians” is not true.
Israeli army officials, who have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, since October 7, admitted in an interview with a newspaper in April that the army had established ‘killing zones’ in Gaza and indiscriminately killed anyone who entered these areas.
Furthermore, according to Harvard University research, the probability of Israel purposely targeting civilian targets in its bombing operations on Palestine is 99 per cent.
39,145 Palestinians, including 16,172 children and 10,798 women, have been killed, and 90,257 people have been injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7.
Israel's claims that "we are observing civilian sensitivity" have been repeatedly refuted with evidence by our Centre for Countering Disinformation.
The claim 'Hamas burnt babies alive on October 7'
The claim made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address to the US Congress that 'Hamas burnt babies alive on October 7' is not true.
The claim first appeared on Israeli i24 TV and was then shared by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post.
However, Israeli resources failed to provide any evidence, leaving the discourse as a mere claim.
The Anadolu Agency correspondent, who contacted the Israeli military on the said claim, quoted it, saying, "We do not have any details or confirmation about the claims."
According to Sam Forey, a correspondent for the French newspaper Le Monde, two emergency service personnel who were collecting the children's corpses informed him that they had not encountered a situation of this nature.
Oren Ziv, a reporter for 972Mag based in Tel Aviv, also stated that they did not see any evidence of the incident while visiting the area.
The claim "civilian casualties in Rafah are practically none”
The claim made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the U.S. Congress that "civilian casualties in Rafah are practically none” is not true.
This claim by Israel has been previously refuted by our Centre for Countering Disinformation.
The occupying Israeli forces continue to bomb Rafah, which has become a refuge for civilians in Gaza.
Despite the International Court of Justice's provisional measures on May 24, Israeli forces conducted an attack on the safe zone in Rafah on May 26, resulting in 45 deaths and 249 injuries.
According to a report by the United Nations on Rafah, the attack resulted in the deaths of 45 civilians, including 23 women, children, and the elderly.
Statements from international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirm that many civilians were targeted in Israeli attacks.
