Fury as French paper Liberation mocks Gaza's starving with vile cartoon

France's left-wing newspaper, Liberation, has published a cartoon mocking Muslims of Gaza amidst their struggle against starvation caused by Israeli's relentless attacks, bombardment, occupation and five-month siege.

As the holy month of Ramadan commenced on Monday, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza found themselves without food to break their fast, their plight exacerbated by the oppressive conditions imposed by Israel.

Yet, amidst this backdrop of deprivation and despair, Liberation, chose to unleash a cruel mockery upon the suffering people of the besieged Gaza. With audacious insensitivity, the cartoon dubbed "Ramadan in Gaza" ridiculing Muslims in Gaza was published by the French daily.

Crafted with a wile intent, the toon depicts starving Palestinians as figures of jest, their hunger trivialised and their plight dismissed.

The cartoon shows a Palestinian man chasing mice and cockroaches, halted by a woman who indicates that it's not yet time to break their fast, all while a hungry child observes. Nearby a hand protrudes from beneath the rubble of a building.

The cartoonist responsible for the offensive sketches, Corinne Rey, formerly associated with the notorious French magazine Charlie Hebdo, has in the past faced criticism for fostering insensitivity.

The publication of the racist cartoon has ignited condemnation from humanitarian organisations and people on social media, shedding light on the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and raising questions about the ethics of media portrayal amidst such suffering.

"The editor-in-chief of Liberation is Dov Alfon, formerly of Israeli military intelligence Unit 8200. The paper is owned by French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi," Kareem Dennis, better known by his stage name Lowkey, a British rapper and activist from London, claimed on X, formerly Twitter.

The editor-in-chief of Libération is Dov Alfon, formerly of Israeli military intelligence Unit 8200.

The paper is owned by French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi. https://t.co/DDJG6RShBu

— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) March 11, 2024

"Shame on the editorial staff and the cartoonist who think genocide is to be mocked and taunted this way. Your depravity and moral rot will come back to haunt you," another X user Aaliya Briggs wrote.

"Those who find it cool to joke about the genocide in Gaza, surely you would have joked about any other genocide too? Only your supremacism allows you to laugh at the massacre, the famine and Israel's attempt to annihilate the Palestinians," X user Monira Moon reacted to the offensive cartoon.

???? Ramadan à #Gaza

✏️ par @cocoboer pic.twitter.com/OnWL2C39zS

— Libération (@libe) March 11, 2024

Starvation in Gaza

Earlier on Monday, Gaza health authorities sounded the alarm, revealing that over 2,000 healthcare workers in northern part of the besieged enclave had nothing to break their fast with on the first day of Ramadan.

They pleaded with international and relief institutions for urgent assistance.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 31,112 people, mostly children and women, and wounded 72,760.

The war has driven around 80 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people from their homes and pushed hundreds of thousands toward starvation.

Health officials say at least 25 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza.

Israeli forces have largely sealed off the north since October, and aid groups say Israeli restrictions, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of law and order have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver desperately needed food in much of the territory.

France’s Liberation newspaper mocks hungry Palestinians in caricature via @AJEnglish
Shame on the editorial staff and the cartoonist who think a genocide is to be mocked and taunted this way. Your depravity and moral rot will come back to haunt you pic.twitter.com/8SeKZgWHbO

— Aaliya Briggs (@liyabee81) March 11, 2024

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Source: TRT