Mick Hartley

Northern Gaza Today: Civilians in Northern Gaza who are experiencing famine-level starvation have for over two days been protesting against Hamas, blaming the group for their misery and suffering and calling out Yahya Sinwar & Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas units repeatedly shot at those…

— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) February 22, 2024

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Northern Gaza Today: Civilians in Northern Gaza who are experiencing famine-level starvation have for over two days been protesting against Hamas, blaming the group for their misery and suffering and calling out Yahya Sinwar & Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas units repeatedly shot at those hungry people who are marching in Jabaliya with empty pots and plates to intimidate and disperse them.

Additionally, the group launched attacks against Israeli ground units today in the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City. It published propaganda videos of the attacks and IDF helicopters evacuating casualties on Al Jazeera Arabic to re-energize the "spirits of resistance." Hamas is also hoping to draw IDF ground units back into Gaza to weaken potential protests and ensure that the IDF allocates resources in the north instead of amassing troops for an offensive against Rafah in the south. Some sources suggest that Hamas has re-organized remnants of its decimated battalions in the north and is once again trying to maintain a cohesive presence that could threaten the Israeli military and engage in a long-term insurgency, while ensuring continued control of the population.

Hamas is absolutely counting on famine and widespread hunger to create political pressure on Israel & ensure that Gazans are too weak to challenge the group's authority. That's why it's crucial to get large quantities of food into the north as soon as possible through airdrops to guarantee that the population doesn't starve. It is vital to foil Hamas's designs to hide behind widespread famine, which is inevitable at this point, in large part due to Israel's blocking of food supplies/trucks going into the besieged City. Nevertheless, it is shameful that the @WFP halted deliveries of food into the north at a time when the need is the greatest and didn't publicly and diplomatically push for continued access to Gaza.