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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Minister Parameshwara says remarks on properties linked to drug peddlers 'misunderstood'
Tumakuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said his recent remarks on the demolition of properties linked to those involved in narcotics trade were "misunderstood and misinterpreted".
His clarification follows remarks made two days ago on the government's uncompromising crackdown on the drug menace, including action against properties linked to foreign nationals allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
"It is unfortunate. It is taken in the wrong sense. I didn't mean that tomorrow itself I am going to send bulldozers and demolish the houses. That was not my intention. It was wrongly taken," he told reporters here.
Responding to Congress MLC K Abdul Jabbar's question in the legislative council on the growing drug menace in Bengaluru, Davangere and coastal districts, the minister on Thursday detailed the extensive enforcement measures initiated since the Congress government assumed office.
Pointing to the involvement of some foreign nationals, the minister had said, "Many foreign students from African countries have come to Karnataka. They are into the drug business. We catch them and register cases against them, but they want the case to be registered because once the case is registered, we cannot deport them."
"We have gone to the extent of demolishing the rented building where they stay," he had said.
