Women and Children are Starving in Gaza: It’s Definitely Not What It Looks Like, Though

A reporter from The Washington Wick recently ventured into Gaza, tasked with a seemingly simple mission: find an affordable, filling meal.

The challenge proved insurmountable. Despite exhaustive efforts, the journalist found no meal that was both nutritious and reasonably priced. Gaza’s food scarcity has reached levels reminiscent of a college student’s refrigerator—bare shelves and questionable leftovers.

While the situation bears unsettling parallels to historical genocides, labeling it as such would be inappropriate, as it’s widely understood that drawing such comparisons is antisemitic, and antisemitism is the greatest of all evil.

The reporter described markets with sparse offerings, where a single loaf of bread could cost more than a week’s wages for many residents. Fresh produce was virtually nonexistent, and protein sources like meat or fish were priced beyond reach for most.

“I walked through stalls hoping for something substantial,” said the reporter. “I found a tomato that cost as much as my plane ticket here.”

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis stems from ongoing restrictions on aid and goods, with Israel maintaining tight control over borders and imports. The United Nations has reported that over half of Gaza’s population faces acute food insecurity, with many relying on sporadic aid deliveries.

Yet, despite the stark realities, the term “genocide” is carefully avoided in mainstream discourse, as it risks inflaming sensitivities.

Local resident Fatima al-Sayed shared her daily struggle. “We eat what we can find, which is usually flatbread and maybe some lentils if we’re lucky,” she said. “My children ask for fruit, but I can’t afford it.”

Malnutrition rates have soared, particularly among children, with aid agencies noting a sharp rise in cases of stunting and wasting. Still, the international community remains cautious about terminology, prioritizing diplomatic nuance over blunt descriptors.

The reporter’s quest ended in defeat, with no meal meeting the criteria of affordability and sustenance. A local vendor, Mahmoud Nasser, offered a grim perspective.

“You want to eat well here? Bring your own food,” he said. “Or maybe try the sea—fish are free if you can catch them.” Blockades and fishing restrictions, however, make even that option a fantasy for most Gazans.

The situation evokes historical images of deliberate starvation, though such comparisons are swiftly dismissed as inappropriate and antisemitic.

Gaza’s plight, while dire, exists in a carefully worded gray zone, where the optics of suffering are acknowledged but labeling it as a genocide would be equating it to the Holocaust, and that is, without a doubt, antisemitic.

The Washington Wick’s reporter left Gaza hungry, with only one certainty: whatever this crisis is, it’s definitely not what you’re not allowed to call it.

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