A medieval antisemitic trope has re-emerged to weaponize the narrative, twisting Israel’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Even feeding the hungry is now grounds to vilify Israel — and history warns us what comes next.
Colonel Kemp returns from Gaza: Civilians are thanking America and holding Hamas responsible for putting them in “the terrible situation they’re in now.”
A new report by Sky’s Data & Forensics Unit claims that deaths in Gaza are increasing when there is more aid distribution by the US-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), compared with when there is no aid being distributed.
If you thought Sky’s “forensics” team was a panel of scientists in lab coats, you are wrong. Their report that “600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid” is provided by the Hamas-run “Gaza Health Ministry.”
Israel was blamed for “starving” Palestinians when it temporarily restricted aid for security reasons. Now that Israel is itself distributing aid inside Gaza, it is again blamed—this time for deliberately causing Palestinian deaths. Israel is blamed when they do, and blamed when they don’t.
For several months, the UN failed to efficiently fulfil the distribution of aid that Israel had transported across the border. Why? Over concerns for the security of its aid teams.
One would think the UN is grateful for the US-Israel aid operation. Over 44 million meals have been delivered since May. Yet, the UN has repeatedly accused Israel of using aid (or access to it) as leverage, calling it “the weaponization of food” and claiming it could constitute a war crime.
Sky’s report is irresponsible because it fuels this recycled narrative that Israel is to be blamed for civilian deaths. It is treading a very dangerous path in attributing blame for Palestinian deaths not due to Israel’s military action on this occasion, but to Israel’s humanitarian goals.
Sky’s inclusion in its article of a post by “Eye on Palestine”—an anti-Israel group that has received numerous overturned bans on social media—is also a concern.
Anti-Jewish conspiracy theories do not need any fake validation. But one circulating online is the false report introduced by Hamas that Israel has been poisoning aid packets with chemicals.
You might recognise a pattern here. Even feeding the hungry is now grounds to vilify Israel — and history warns us what comes next.
Antisemitic conspiracy theories are hallmarks of some of the worst anti-Jewish persecution in history. Well-poisoning accusations are not new. During the Black Death, Jews were accused of poisoning water sources. It resulted in the massacre of Jews in hundreds of towns across Germany, France, and Germany.
Blood-libels were used by the Spanish Inquisition and led to violence against Jews in England and other European countries. In medieval Europe, economic conspiracies claimed Jews secretly exploited Christians in order to destabilise the economy. This fuelled expulsions and riots in England, France and Spain. A similar hoax conspiracy—the Protocols of the Elders of Zion—was also a contributing factor that stirred antisemitism prior to the Holocaust.
With this in mind, it provides worrying context to the sickening “Death to the IDF” chants that Glastonbury act, Bob Vylan, gave in front of thousands of people. Let’s not give any benefit of the doubt to Vylan—he used “IDF” because it rhymes. He meant Jews. On October 7th, 329 IDF soldiers were killed. Many of them were in their pyjamas. The point is, Hamas doesn’t distinguish between Jews in tanks or Jews at home in their bedrooms.
What’s really happening on the ground
It is important to counter the lies. The IDF strongly denies targeting civilians. When 31 people were killed near a GHF site in Rafah, not one shot was fired by the IDF. A report by the New York Times attributes blame to Hamas, saying it is targeting aid workers, placing bounties on GHF staff, and that 52 million meals were delivered in five weeks without any looting.
The UN OHCHR—which cites the number of deaths—also says that responsibility remains “unconfirmed” and blame may lie with misdirected fire, crowd surges or from attacks by Hamas-affiliated theft.
Criticism has also been levied against Israel regarding the routes, with the UN describing them as “death traps.” Whilst there is obvious danger in distributing aid in Gaza, the IDF has been actively improving its checkpoints and safety guidance.
Colonel Richard Kemp, retired commander of the British Armed Forces, has recently returned from Gaza. He told Fox News that civilian deaths in Gaza are “unavoidable” because of how Hamas operates. He argued that this is part of the terror group’s “primary objective,” which he says is “to get the IDF to kill as many civilians as possible so they can achieve what they have achieved, which is the vilification of Israel, the isolation of Israel, and the condemnation of Israel—the accusations of war crimes and genocide—none of which are true.”
While on the ground in Gaza, Kemp had the opportunity to speak with civilians and visit aid distribution sites run by the GHF. He said the civilians who spoke with him were grateful for the aid and recognized the role the US, under President Donald Trump, has played. At the same time, they hold Hamas responsible for putting them in “the terrible situation they’re in now.”
When asked about the criticism GHF has faced from the international community—particularly the United Nations—Kemp said that the organization is working in a way that is “uniquely suitable” for the situation in Gaza. He argued that the UN is attempting to apply a “standard template solution,” which does not work for Gaza, as evidenced by the amount of aid stolen by Hamas.
“Some of them told me it was the first time since the war began, 20 months ago, that they have actually received any free aid at all,” Kemp told Fox. He said that in some instances, Hamas would steal aid and sell the goods at premium prices that many civilians could not afford.
Kemp emphasized the need for other nations and major humanitarian organizations to support the GHF and noted the recent $30 million in funding the organization had received from the U.S.
“No other country that I know of has directly contributed funding to the GHF, and they should do so because the GHF, not the UN, is the future of aid deliveries into Gaza,” Kemp told Fox News Digital. He also acknowledged that the UN has a role to play, but added that it must be “in the interest of the people of Gaza, not bureaucracy.”
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