Journalist Mehdi Hasan's 'Debunked' series exposes seven lies by Israel regarding Gaza
Renowned journalist Mehdi Hasan has launched a groundbreaking video series titled 'Debunked' on Zeteo, which began with a video dissecting what he asserts are seven misleading narratives propagated by Israel concerning Gaza.
Hasan, taking to his social media platform, expressed the necessity of exposing these "dangerous lies" that have, according to him, been overlooked by mainstream media.
Hasan wrote, “we must call out those dangerous lies even if others in our media won’t”. He said his new video series is devoted to “debunking the top seven lies about Gaza & October 7th”.
1. Alleged Ceasefire Breach:
Hasan begins by challenging the assertion that Hamas broke an existing ceasefire on October 7th, a claim repeatedly made by Israel. Contradicting Israeli leaders, Hasan cites news articles from the AP news agency that reported Israeli airstrikes in Gaza two weeks before the October 7th attack, suggesting ongoing hostilities.
The article was published two weeks before the October 7th attack, said Hasan. Another news article said Gaza Strip protesters received bullet wounds to ankles. Another article read, “even before Hamas’ attack on October 7, Israeli forces had already killed 234 Palestinians in the West Bank this year (2023), while settlers were responsible for nine more killings”. Hasan mocked that even if there was a ceasefire before the October 7th attack, “nobody told Israeli military” about it.
2. Hostage Priority:
Another lie, as per Hasan, involves the prioritization of freeing hostages. While U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized it as the "highest priority," Israel's finance minister reportedly stated that destroying Hamas took precedence over hostage retrieval. Hasan alleges that Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of Israeli hostages, challenging the narrative of a successful rescue operation.
Hasan said, “wittingly or unwittingly, Israeli military has killed more Israeli hostages than its soldiers have rescued”. He cited the report of an Israeli journalist’s tweet which shared an Israeli website. The website said, 10 Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza. It said the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had intel on some of the hostages were residing in buildings that were targeted by them. According to Hasan, IDF “killed their own citizens and then lied and said they died in Hamas captivity”.
3. The 40 Beheaded Babies Claim:
Addressing what Hasan terms the most emotive and offensive lie, he tackles the widely circulated claim of 40 beheaded babies during Hamas' October 7th attack. Hasan dismisses this as a cynical and repulsive fabrication, citing evidence that disproves the existence of such an atrocity.
Hasan called the story of 40 beheaded babies as a “cynical, reckless and repulsive lie” that was used to justify the killing of hundreds of Palestinian babies.
4. IDF Claim on Al Shifa Hospital:
Israel's assertion that Hamas had a headquarters under the Al Shifa hospital is the fourth lie debunked by Hasan. He argues that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) failed to provide concrete evidence and relied on vague details, such as a pair of cots in an unused room, to support their claim.
Washington Post also reported about IDF failing to produce immediate evidence of Hamas using the hospital for military use and as a “command and control centre”.
5. Reliability of Gaza Health Ministry's Numbers:
Hasan touches upon the Israeli government's reluctance to trust casualty figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry. He emphasizes the contradictory stance, noting that the IDF accepts the Health Ministry's figures as reliable. He also highlighted The Lancet's support, stating there is no inflated mortality reporting from Gaza.
6. Denial of Hunger in Gaza:
Challenging the Israeli defense official's claim that there is no hunger in Gaza, Hasan refers to the World Food Programme's statement that four out of the world's five hungriest people are in Gaza. He disputed the narrative by pointing out the dire humanitarian situation leading to deaths, including among infants, due to starvation.
7. Gazans Electing Hamas:
The final lie addressed by Hasan is the assertion that Gazans getting killed today chose Hamas through elections. He rebuts this claim as a 'Bin Laden-ist logic,' stating it implies a right to kill based on political choices. Hasan argued that many Gazans, especially the younger population, did not participate in the last election nearly two decades ago.
Hasan said the claim of Gazans elected Hamas is “just a lie”. To pove his point, he pointed out that half of the Gaza’s population are under 18, and most of them weren’t even born during the time when the last election in Gaza took place, which is nearly two decades ago. He also pointed that the in the 2006 legislative election, Hamas did not win the majority of the vote cast.
"We must call out those dangerous lies even if others in our media won't"
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) March 5, 2024
My new video series 'Debunked!' just launched for @zeteo_news. The first episode is devoted to debunking the top seven lies about Gaza & October 7th.
(Oh & do pls subscribe here: https://t.co/Nj0IOnvnyk) pic.twitter.com/D7PiCJWTkk
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
ALSO READ: Cong candidate who moved Kerala HC for name reinstatement in voter list, wins
Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
