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Source: https://www.jns.org/the-starvation-weapon-hamass-latest-tool-of-terror/
The Starvation Weapon: Hamas's Latest Tool of Terror
(JNS) Dr. Fiamma Nirenstein - In the past week, the world saw images of two Israeli hostages - Evyatar David and Rom Barslavski - reduced to skin and bones, while their Hamas captors casually ate in front of them. These were not staged photos. They were real, raw, and horrifying. Yet, the world seems largely unmoved. Since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the global narrative has largely focused on Palestinian suffering, much of it amplified by a media campaign full of distortions and falsehoods. Hamas has successfully portrayed itself as the voice of the oppressed, deflecting attention from its barbaric war crimes, including the starvation and torture of hostages. Meanwhile, European governments continue to issue statements urging "restraint," not on Hamas, but on Israel. While Israel is falsely accused of causing famine in Gaza, Hamas is actively using starvation as a tactic, not against its enemies, but against the very captives it holds as human bargaining chips. This is cruelty, not collateral damage. It is deliberate, not incidental. A campaign of moral inversion is being waged against Israel. The actual aggressor is painted as a victim. The true victim is told to make more concessions. Evyatar and Rom are symbols of a world where Hamas can starve them on camera and still be considered a negotiating partner. A world where the worst forms of cruelty are rewarded with diplomatic recognition, media sympathy and aid dollars. The writer, a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, served as vice president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.