The public sentiment surrounding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is overwhelmingly negative, with widespread condemnation of both Israeli actions and U.S. involvement. Commenters express frustration and anger over perceived inaction and complicity from global leaders, especially regarding the suffering of innocent civilians, particularly children. There is a strong call for accountability and immediate humanitarian intervention, amidst feelings of helplessness and despair about the ongoing situation. Despite some isolated expressions of support for surprising figures, the general tone reflects deep emotional turmoil and a yearning for justice.

Israeli Government

U.S. Government

Hamas

International Community

The problem isn’t whether or not you think there’s some government culpability. The problem is if you think there’s some sort of outsized government culpability for Israel compared to any other nation or government. 

I lived through the whole Iraq/Afghanistan war timeline. Sure there were some protestors here and there. But there weren’t music concerts being taken over by anti-American banners. Every time you went on a social media post people weren’t spamming American flags with the word “genocide” next to it. People weren’t constantly spamming “Free Iraq” or “Free Afghanistan.” 

And this is after over 1,000,000 million people were killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns. 

But this isn’t supposed to be a “whataboutism.” It’s a genuine question as to why it seems like nobody gives an absolute fuck about any other war or genocide or whatever but suddenly are hyper focused on this conflict to the minute detail. I can find you plenty of photos of dead Iraqi kids, but nobody cares. And that’s the problem.

ImportTuner808

I am pro Israel, but I’m also a mother, and it is hard to see a child or a baby suffering, no matter where they’re from. Yeah I want these babies to be fed. I also don’t want them to be raised to hate Jews. But an infant shouldn’t be held accountable for what happened in 2023.

Shomer_Effin_Shabbas

There are a lot of zionist Jews care deeply about Israel who are also extremely disturbed by the lack of food reaching Gaza. They are concerned about the actions of the current Israeli government over many things, not just the food distribution, but are able to critique with specificity and without hate (bc the goal is to make Israel better). You have to know where to look for nuanced, compassionate voices who are extremely familiar with Israeli politics. They are probably not going to be the loudest voices online because they don't say things for clickbait or allow for easy, comforting narratives. Some suggestions of social media:

Israeli Policy Forum has great information and analysis about all things related to Israel. 

@ politicaljew

@ holylandspeaks

@ that\_semite

@ alanalindsay

@ yehudimomrim

@ tylerthejewmaican

Dobbin44

I feel so strongly that Israel is critically important I get into shouting matches with strangers about it.

But also, Israel is fucking this up pretty badly right now. Saying war is hell isn't really an excuse. They have to understand the optics of the situation and take them into account, Hamas certainly is. Optics matter because right now the crap optics make us diaspora Jews less safe. That's real too.

NAF1138

It is totally sane, normal, and not at all contradictory to support Israel as a Jewish state *and also* condemn or criticize what the state is doing.

Hamas aside, Israel as the occupying entity has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure appropriate humanitarian assistance is available. The starvation is not fake, there are absolutely innocent civilians starving, even among the wealthier families in Gaza, because there simply is not enough food available to them. 

Don’t let anybody convince you that it’s inappropriate to feel disturbed by this crisis, or that if you’re disturbed you must adopt a host of other anti-Israel and antisemitic beliefs or else you are “complicit.” Fuck all of that. Check out Standing Together if you haven’t heard of them… there are “friends of” ST chapters all over North America in case that’s where you live.

Acrobatic-Parsnip-32

War is not pretty. 

Arab neighbors don’t do shit to help. 

Israel was attacked and is now responsible to feed them. 

Egypt’s border is sealed. 

It’s a whole crazy situation. 

Oh and yeah there’s still 50 hostages there. wtf.

Surround8600

Yes. It's enormously painful. It's as the Times of Israel put it: Hamas is ultimately responsible for this war, but Israel bears immediate responsibility too: [https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-israel-made-itself-responsible-for-gaza-and-for-all-the-death-and-destruction-there](https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-israel-made-itself-responsible-for-gaza-and-for-all-the-death-and-destruction-there) 

This doesn't mean we AS JEWS are morally responsible any more than other people are. But because it's the Jewish state doing this (and by "this" I mean "allowing a famine to continue instead of making every possible effort to alleviate it") it's giving a moral injury to all Jews.

tempuramores

[deleted]

This is something I've been struggling with myself. One of the things that turned me off of the progressive left (as a progressive leftist) was seeing how many of my friends ooh and ahh over my 2 year old but justified the murder of the Bibas boys. Kfir Bibas was 3 days older than my son, and my partner and I were considering Aliyah in 2022. My own friends might have been justifying the murder of my son, my partner, and myself.


I refuse to do the same thing to a Palestinian child, no matter the crimes of their government. No baby deserves to starve and to hand-wave away that starvation is a betrayal of every value I hold. 


It's not right or fair, but every government has to weigh the virtue of a proportional response (you can tell I watched too much West Wing as a kid). Clearly what's being tried *is* dismantling Hamas, but I don't believe one life can be traded for another--how many children are the Hamasniks worth? 


I support Israel defending itself, but how far is too far? I don't really have an answer.


EDIT: I don't have an answer but I do have a suggestion. The western powers can recognise a Palestinian state once all the hostages are returned AND the remainder of Hamas disbands/submits to the ICC for judgement for war crimes for October 7. Return the hostages, disband, do teshuva, and they get a state. The ball is in their court, I'm tired of this nonsense.

dont_thr0w_me_away_

Israelis criticize the goverment all the time, just more between ourselves and less when talking to out of country people.

BlackVirusXD3

Yes, absolutely feeling this way and there are many of us navigating the painful complexity, though our voices aren’t as prominent online as the extremes. Most Jews I know irl feel as we do. This is our humanity, and we have to hold on to it for dear life.

Prudent_Web_3677

I wish there was something we could really do to help.  I don’t think placing blame is most important, and that’s where all the tension and hatred forJews comes from.  We have to work on fixing and helping.

RedFlowerGreenCoffee

There’s no reason for Israel to not get aid to them and anyone in their right mind wants that but it will take a collective effort.

hinaultpunch

The way I view it is that I’m pro-Israel anti-Bibi. The way this was has been prosecuted is to keep him in power and with Trump now back in the White House he’s all onboard with Trump’s insane plan of mass expulsions of Arabs from Gaza so trump and his family can build waterfront resorts on the cheap.

When Israeli soldiers are saying their surperiors are telling them to use live ammunition on unarmed civilians then there is definitely culpability by the some of the top leaders in Israel and it starts with Bibi.

TheInfinityOfThought

The problem is that there is supply but UN is refusing to work with GHF so supplies are piling up. Israel just showed reporters what was happening. The issue isn’t supply but the UN refusing to work unless Hamas gets a cut.

Correct-Effective289

War is hell. Anyone who thinks that a country can fight a perfectly clean war where no civilian is harmed knows nothing about war. By all accounts, this is actually a considerably clean war. 

“War is hell” is not an excuse to target civilians, but rather an acknowledgment that when you are fighting a war in densely populated urban area against an enemy whose strategy is to maximize their own civilian suffering, non-combatants will die. Moreover, this has to be the first war since World War 2 where neighboring countries actively refused to shelter civilians caught in the crossfire, as Egypt and Jordan are refusing to do now. This makes it extremely difficult to move non-combatants away from the battle space. Another first is the outright refusal of the defeated entity (Hamas) to surrender. They are clearly beaten and could end this war tomorrow if they wanted to. 

It’s also worth noting that had Israel started this war, the conversation would be different, but this is a war of necessity — Israel was attacked by Hamas and Hamas must be eliminated.

Individual-Stage-620

I hate to see noncombatants going hungry and suffering as well. I don't see how limiting food aid is a smart or decent way to attack Hamas. 

Has anyone determined how much aid has entered Gaza since Oct 2023 and whether that should have been enough to feed everyone in Gaza? I'm not sure how much of the problem is Israel not allowing enough aid in versus the aid not getting where it needs to be.

Flamingo_Reasonable

The government sucks and the war needs to end. Enough. This is definitely Netanyahu's fault.

However, Israel is now allowing aid to enter Gaza basically freely, which is important to mention. A lot of what you see is indeed propaganda. It would have been better if the incompetent fools in government didn't play right into it. The entire GHF thing was an obvious mistake.

Ahad_Haam

Yeah it’s pretty awful, I’ve had to stop paying attention to it because everything about it is so awful it negatively affecting my mental health.

lordbuckethethird

A lot of people base their views on this conflict (both the current Gaza war and the longer conflict since 1948) on their identity as a Zionist/antizionist or “pro-Israel/pro-palestine” instead of trying understand how individuals are harmed. I don’t really care if people are Zionists or antizionists but I’m not interested in talking to people who believe that the entire population of Gaza is deserving of starvation or forced displacements. Ethnic cleansing is disgusting and needs to be condemned forcefully.

Good-Concentrate-260

It is wearing on all of us. It’s time to end this.  I defended every more  Netanyahu for well over the first year. I don’t understand how shooting at starving civilians is supposed the make Israel safer.

Interesting_Claim414

Oh I definitely feel this way, and will be downvoted into oblivion now for saying that.  But I am having a hard time with the idea that the whole population should be paying the price for what the governing body did , we have other examples of the government doing atrocious things (looking at you , Russia, Trump administration) but yet there are very few people saying: oh yes you elected that and advocating for collateral damage. Bibi now is ensuring that there will three more generations of Palestinians and people around the world that will hate Israelis and all Jews. And no matter how great IDF is they are not saints , not perfect and unlikely winning this war. 
Oh and the war is hard and oh well what about Egypt crowd is normally posting from places nowhere remotely close to any conflicts or wars; most of them really don’t know what they are talking about.

Sababa180

Israel is not alone. The UN, putting Hamas political ambitions first, is at least complicit, probably more.

Puzzleheaded-Test218

The food is already in Gaza.  The UN refuses to distribute it. 

Suitable_Vehicle9960

Is this a good faith discussion? Read the news, please, prior to ranting online. YNetNews is a noted centrist/moderate/objective news outlet. It is NOT The Times of Israel, nor is it Haaretz. It's fair. Egypt is sealed and the world is not blaming THEM for not feeding Gazans, and Israel is TRYING to feed them. 

# [Israel blames UN for Gaza food shortage, 800 truckloads of aid wait for UN delivery](https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1rfmmgpge)

QueenLevine

I feel sorry for them.  I don’t feel guilty.  That’s the difference.

BurnThis2

What is happening is the fault of Hamas, the UN, Israel, and gullible westerners. It’s horrible and not okay. I can’t control any of them and feel helpless. I want the hostages safe. I want Hamas gone. I want two states and peace. Nobody cares what I want though

Bakingsquared80

The international community only cares because Israel is a sensational topic. Most Americans don’t care at all that millions of Iraqis died in the wars America fought but they suddenly care that some Gazans are dying. It’s literally just because anti-semitism is how you get views and clicks.

Round-Status-5773

Return the hostages and stop trying to kill all Jews.

Next question?

shragae

It's a war. There's a reason people say war is hell. And this is a war in a densely populated urban area in which one side is seeking to maximize casualties amongst its own civilian population. Understand that every image you see -- and they are horrific -- is exactly what Hamas wants. Also understand that there is extreme media bias against Israel. They are not giving you the full story, like the fact that Hamas actively prevents Gazans from getting aid or the fact that there are many tons of it waiting to be distributed. 


Israel is a country, flawed like any other. They're certainly far from perfect. But there are probably dozens of other horrors taking place all over the world right now. Why is it that people are so obsessed with this one conflict? Why does no one care about Sudan, for example, or the ongoing slaughter of Druze in Syria (who Israel tried to help, by the way)? 


You already know the answer to these questions. 

DoodleBug179

I hate to say this after your post, but Hamas really is to blame, both for the Blood Libels they spread and for the misery they spread.  To be upset is a normal,  Jewish response, but the only party to be upset with is Hamas.

LanceJade

Please remember that Palestinians have a whole industry of fabricating misinformation (Paliwood is real). The pictures you see of the starving children have proven again and again to be from Yemen/Syria, AI or even staged using terminally ill patients. In many cases, the "child" is already swaddled to the point that no one can see that it's actually a doll. 


Ask yourself why the "famine" is suddenly worse now that the UN/Hamas no longer has monopoly, especially when we've seen and heard from Gazans themselves that they can finally get aid without having to pay for it. The weaker Hamas gets the worse the reports of Gaza's "suffering". This is more than just a coincidence - the propaganda is turned up to max using the oldest blood libel of them all: bloodthirsty Jews killing innocent babies. If anything, they are getting desperate.


Yes, there us hardship and civilians are always the ones to suffer in war. The task of providing aid to large crowds with Hamas operatives swarming about is a logistical nightmare and there will be shortages until the network has been properly established. It is important to remember, however, that neither the IDF or the GHF are claiming famine and the data does not support that there is ongoing famine. 


It is important that we keep level-headed and rational so we do not fall for the propaganda. The world was always turned against us and we should not rely on the words of antisemites. 

Sad_Eagle8690

Many of those images you seeing are from Yemen, syria, or just staged.

watch sahartv or any of the other myriad of smaller channels. you can see there is definitive exaggeration that looks terrible but you need the context

i mean yes war is awful. yes people are struggling. but Gaza has restaurants. food (though admittedly diverted via Hamas, etc). yes people have died (though 98% of the population is still alive and well)

but watch sahar. this clip, he collected video from people who filmed CNN filming what they wanted the world to see from there. there are definitely staged clips that you're seeing. there's a clip of a kid to be so hungry he's eating sand but there's restaurants right behind him just out of the CNN footage. supposedly a baby that was born on a pile of rubble but the baby is totally clean and they're saying it's 2 hours old but I can assure we tell you that baby's far older than 2 hours. and look at the clothes, they are not close that anyone would find if it was as bad and devastated as they're saying it is 

popular media is showing what they want you to see, not necessarily the whole picture

https://youtu.be/s49D33DPo8I?si=QaQm78yZAIKimdgU

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migoodman

If you had access to live-streamed coverage of Berlin during WW2 you would have been equally appalled. War is disgusting, and anyone that advocates or encourages is it wrong in the head. Hamas chose this war and refuses to surrender because western college students have glorified and encouraged their violence. Just all around a shitty situation.

TheForsaken69

How about we do some research and talk about facts and not propaganda designed to spread lies and twist the narrative.

Here is a detailed analysis of what is really happening.  Once people address the facts maybe then they can start blaming Israel for something.  But OP and others chiming in have skipped over all the relevant issues, like how Israel does deliver aid, how the UM refuses to cooperate or allow Israel to escort the aid under guard inside Gaza, or how Hamas steals the aid, or how GHF is trying to go around Hamas but the UN is trying to stop GUF from doing that.  

https://www.np.reddit.com/r/BeneiYisraelNews/s/PJIef6wSHu

Asphodelmercenary

I think the issue is people putting the blame entirely on Israel, which seems to be the case for 90% of these propaganda inducing posts. Yes it’s sad, but it’s inevitable.

Mindless_Charity_395

Think back to WWII. All those people starving in concentration camps in Germany. Not just Jews, other people too. 

Did Americans and Europeans "placed blame" or "acknowledged magnitude" for that? Do you think they should have?

  
Also, in the case of Gaza. The photos are children with mostly congenital diseases that cause wasting, atrophy. Yes they need better medical care. But they are not "starving."

TopSecretAlternateID

This is a TROLL. It’s disgusting how they are inundating these groups but you can easily see what they e posted about. The fact that this troll never postedONCE about anything Jewish let alone Gaza says it all.

yumyum_cat

Israel looks bad by allowing the starving of so many women and children, so politically, it would be in their best interest to get food and medical aid to the people of Gaza, even if it's not Israel's responsibility. 

Of course, the rest of the world could figure out a way to get food to Gazans if they really wanted to.

FreeRangeGrape

Imagine if we had todays media during WW2. We could not blame any one nation for the starvation and difficult circumstances war creates globally. Israel is held to a standard no other nation on Earth is expected to adhere to. Not to mention there are two sides to every story. The population in Gaza was not "well fed" under HAMAS before the war either so these conditions hit even harder.

No_Mathematician7395


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Apparently all those campus protesters from 2024 were *checks notes* correct too early for democrats?

catharticargument

Now Hakeem Jefferies says something after spending the last 2 years protecting Israel and helping silence those on the left who have been speaking Truth to Israelis actions.

sedatedlife

Gotta be honest, Israel is doing literally everything they said they were going to do, there’s no surprises here, the starvation has been happening for weeks but now that a shit ton of children are actually emaciated and dying and it’s filling the news feeds, now it’s too much? 

I want to be happy for some changing hearts on the issue, but I’m angry. They knew this was coming

dudenurse13

This is coming far too late. Had the Democrats done this while they held power, they may not have lost as badly, let alone at all, last year.

jayfeather31

I honestly don't give a flying fuck what establishment Democrats have to say on this issue given the amount of time they spent providing cover for Israel, greenlighting weapon shipments to Israel, and smearing pro-Palestine protesters. 

Hillary Clinton literally was saying just last year that a ceasefire would only "help" Hamas. 

If any of them actually cared they would have increased pressure on the White House when there was an actual Democrat in office.

walkallover1991

Most people are focused on the Epstein coverup right now and that's good because rightfully for the first time in a long time there's some unity. That said our focus shouldn't have to be Trump once again as what is happening in Gaza is nothing short of mass starvation and the killing of innocent people on a daily basis by a war criminal. In short we are witnessing a genocide in real time and it's heart wrenching.

Thund3rbolt

Keep in mind that Bibi's arrest warrant for starving the people of Gaza was issued last year. So anyone who wants to claim that Israel only began starving Palestinians under Trump is lying.

https://www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/netanyahu

Rain_43676

Be for something when you have no power, then be against it when you have power. OR. Be for something when you have no power, then when you have power, claim you have no power to actually do it.

Thank you all for attending my centrism 101 class.

LongLiveFDR

Lmao, someone must have told Jeffries he looks particularly complicit.

Hourglass343

If only they did this a year ago they might have won the election

bigjimbay

i guess the consultants told them it is politically okay to condemn the mass starvation now 🤯

pepeenos

a year too late, long after it would have made political sense to do so.

The Republicans arent' talking about it because they don't care how bloody their hands are, but Democrats don't want everyone to see how bloody theirs are either.

QaraKha

Diligent-Youth-6597

Hot-Resolution-4324

Interesting how candid they are about this issue compared to last year.

sardine_succotash

What outcry? Most of these fucking losers are still saying “but Hamas” and parroting the same Netanyahu/IDF nonsense while keeping international journalists out to be unable to prove otherwise. Only some consistent Dems like Bernie..

Appropriate-Sort-202

Schumer and Jeffries should be rotting in the Hague. Biden, Blinken, Harris, and the rest of the AIPAC brigade as well.

Johnny55

bx35

mara_17

It’s quite something that at this point in multiple countries the government position is what israel is doing is wrong and so is protesting it.

soalone34

“We tried nothing and we are all out of ideas!”

AlexRyang

Democrats remain totally toothless in this regard on the macro level while Zionists like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries infest its leadership .

JimmyRamone17_

Where the hell were you when Biden was in office, why do you keep giving money and weapons to the people committing GENOCIDE, and you wonder why people stayed home instead of voting.

Jaded_Cicada_7614

Join..? Now that everyone is literally starving to death? Are we sure they have joined yet?

Deep_Seas_QA

At this point might get more sympathy from the world if they show more videos of the starving Cats and Dogs.

That might be the way to do it, sadly.

TheShadowzGhost

This would have been great **TWO YEARS AGO**

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really trying to go the Ms. Rachel route of welcoming all voices. It’s just so hard when *these* voices **literally had the power to stop it when they had the chance.**

Vivid24

I’m scared for Jewish people there leader is making them a target this is bibi war calling it the Israel hamas war dosent change that Gaza and its people are being effected. Eventually this will be remembered as nazi level genocide and as history shown the Jewish race has been prosecuted for a lot less. I hope Israelis wake up one thing you can count on is the USA won’t be in your corner forever ask Afghanistan. It’s not a matter of if but when maybe not in the next decade but eventually Jewish people are going to go through what they went through before. Because the entire world of normal people not the talking heads and bought of politicians think this shit it’s genocide and want justice

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You got to love Reddit and this sub specifically. For weeks and months, they demand the Democrats stand against Israel and the second they do so, it's suddenly not enough and far too late. Now everyone is just saying that Democrats still suck and they won't support them.

Just be honest and say you don't actually care what Democrats say or do, you're going to find a reason to complain about them. Stop lying and saying this is about policies, it's just about finding an excuse to be mad and justify not having to actually do anything.

DisMFer

Im done with the blaming of democrats, by those who chose to turn a blind eye

If someone didn't vote for harris, they aided this.

Trump ran on supporting these very actions.

These horrors are not a surprise.

WastelandOutlaw007

No wonder no one ever does the right thing in DC. When they do, they get criticized for doing it too late. Better criticize the democrats who try to do the right thing instead of the republicans who always do the wrong thing.

GoodUserNameToday

83 kids have died since the war began from hunger.  This should never happen in war.  Babies!  Thankfully there is ultimately good in humanity as the images of suffering children and emotional outcry has led to a humanitarian pause.  Aid corridors are open and the IDF started aid air drops, other Arab states are joining in the food drops too.  UN now needs to step up.  Hopefully food gets to those who need it most 💪

dbag3o1

You should write or ghost-write an article for The New Yorker, or The Atlantic, or any major publication that would agree to publish it, about the reality of the Arab world.

i wish everyone would read the graphic novel The Arab of the Future.  Been there, lived it, totally on target.

snowplowmom

OP join us at OLAM, a network for Jewish humanitarian aid workers. You aren’t alone in this situation. https://www.olamtogether.org/

EDIT: I’m a member. Joined after I was forced to resign from a senior leadership role in the development sector due to post-7/10 Jew hate. This group honestly saved me. I was so disillusioned and shamed for my career path, left alone and confused. Came here and so much clicked. Melding my identities, Jewish and professional in a way that got lost (rather was forced to stay hidden). I’m a little obsessed with this group and truly can’t say enough about their work and network.

melting-lychee

You are not a fuckwit. You embody what a vast majority of Jews are all about: Making the world better for everyone, and peace. 

I try to tell people that they don’t understand who we are dealing with and that antisemitism is rampant in all of the places that should embody humanitarianism. Most don’t believe me or understand. Reality is so messed up that it’s quite simply unbelievable. I’m sorry you had to learn this in person and in such a traumatic way. You’re at home here (and in Israel FYI). Nobody could ever take that away from you.

gettheboom

&gt;or if I even deserve to get better.

Of course you do. 

&gt; I don’t believe in god anymore, 

That's ok

&gt;and I have a really bad trauma response if I try to go to any Jewish cultural space.

I don't know if you feel guilt or shame &amp; that's what prevents you, but don't let hypocrisy or antisemitism steal your identity from you, that's how it wins. I hope you can find a trauma-informed therapist with a background in antisemitism to work through this. The people most likely to support you &amp; understand this are going to be found in Jewish spaces, so don't deny yourself that.

ErnestBatchelder

Israel saved Yahya Sinwar. There are still groups of Israelis working to get Palestinians to hospitals, even after all this. You have been deeply betrayed by people and ideals you trusted - of course your foundations are shaken. Of course you are struggling. But through it and despite it, you did not forget who you are and who we are. You remembered that to save a life is among the highest good you can do, and you remembered it twice: once to help those suffering even when it was deeply hard, and once to save yourself when you knew you could not live this way anymore. Pirkei Avot reminds us that we both cannot refuse to do the work of healing the world and that we cannot finish it on our own, and you have remembered that. Yasher koach, achoti - what strength and bravery that is, sister. You've done nothing to require shame or absolution, not at all. I hope deeply that you are getting, or at least seeking, the support you need. 

I know you are struggling with Jewish spaces, but if you think it could help, I wonder if it would be worth it to visit a mikvah. It is a space of transition and purification, and if you are feeling this kind of ache and stain, it may help you to step into that space. There are egalitarian mikvaot all kinds of places if that would appeal to you. 

Shabbat shalom. Truly. Try to find some peace today. You are doing okay, and you're not alone.

sweet_crab

You are absolutely not a fuckwit and I can't tell you how incredibly strong you are. You endured so much hate from your colleagues in the name of helping the civilians who have been caught in the crossfire of this devastating war. You are not wrong for going and are not wrong for leaving. 


Someone suggested to you write an anonymous article or op-ed about your experience and I absolutely concur. I, like many people, would love to donate money to feed the very people you tried to help, but not if that money will go to an organization that will allow its Jewish colleagues to endure such hate. It would be good for people to know where their money is actually going.


If anyone is a true humanitarian, *it is you*. You went to help people because you genuinely believed in protecting them, even if they did not feel the same towards you. Your colleagues, on the other hand, are despicable. Hatred of any kind has no place in that kind of work. Humanitarian work is not transactional or conditional and their behavior is appalling. I'd hate to find out how'd they'd treat Zionist refugees. 


I'm really sorry you're going through this. PTSD is common among humanitarian workers and I hope you can find help. I'm glad you're doing better in Ukraine, those people need you too. And if you feel like you need a break from it all, please don't hesitate to take one.

Electrical_Pomelo556

Hi, I work in Middle East policy and I also a former journalist - if you ever decide to write something about this and want help writing or editing, please get in touch.

ksalana

Your experience proves that no Jew will ever be “Pro-Palestine” enough for antisemites. You literally provided humanitarian aid to Gazans and it still wasn’t enough.

ThoughtsAndBears342

I'm so sorry. You're not stupid, just, and I mean this in love, naive. Or were. Most of us were and those who weren't were labeled as Islamaohobic or worse. I hope you find healing and hope

DadSouls83

I don’t know if this is unpopular or not, but I’ll say it anyway: Gazan civilians deserve humanitarian aid. No one sane argues that. But they also have a government that failed them catastrophically. The second that aid gets hijacked to glorify terrorism, fund Hamas, or become a propaganda tool, it stops being humanitarian and becomes complicity.

You went in with integrity and compassion. What you endured was inexcusable: open antisemitism, exclusion, gaslighting, and betrayal from people who claim to stand for human rights. They failed every moral and ethical standard. That wasn’t “anti-Zionism.” That was raw, ugly antisemitism. And it thrives in exactly the spaces that pretend to be “progressive.”

I say this as someone who’s been a progressive Democrat my entire life until October 7 shattered my faith in what that label has come to mean.

You did the right thing. They didn’t. You have nothing to be ashamed of. They should be ashamed.

pr0tag

wow i’m so sorry. you should really consider contacting someone to write or speak about your experience, if you feel comfortable. I’m sure there are anonymous routes you could go as well. again, if you’re comfortable. 

this is disgusting behavior and shows a culture of antisemitism and virulent jew hatred. i’m so so sorry you had to deal with this amount of hatred. it’s appalling and disgusting.

avidreader2004

Isn’t it fascinating that the people who truly care about neutrality are Jews?

I’m Zionist. I want two states. I want peace.

Menemsha4

You were duped. It's ok.  You still have the right to be Jewish, ESPECIALLY because you learned from your experience.  You have really valuable information to share with there rest of us.  I'm so sorry you went through this. Therapy might be helpful, but please find a pro-Israel therapist, so you don't get any more hate!

HeyyyyMandy

You’ve received a lot of responses with advice and opinions. I hope you find them helpful. 

All I want to say is: what you experienced was fucked up. I’m sorry this was done to you.

Am-Yisrael-Chai

I am so sorry you have been hit this hard. I have seen many Jewish influencers posting about mental health support catered to Jews post 7/10. I understand you have ptsd and don’t want to engage with jewish spaces, but be careful who you are seeking mental health care from, I would recommend a Jewish practitioner to avoid encountering antisemitism in such a delicate matter.

Could it be of any help to contact Jews in your field and hearing about their coping mechanisms?

a_guenda

I acknowledge the strong humanitarian drive in you. I think it's fantastic what you do. For sure your actions will help peace in what ever small way. 

I am glad you got to have that experience in Jordan. It cannot be easy, having to hide who you are (and here I'm thinking back to when I was in the closet as a teenager-omg the tension), and I'm glad you are in a much better place.  
  
It's certainly opened your eyes. And it's understandable that you wouldn't feel like being in Jewish spaces following such an experience; 'I get this for being Jewish so it would be better to ramp it down'. 

I would suggest that perhaps you could see if you can go to synagogue. For sure that will affirm your identity. You don't have to believe in HaShem, but being around other Jews is going to help you. 

I wish you all power, and I wish you safety.

DandyHorseRider

jtal888

I’m so sorry this happened to you. I also have PTSD from 10/7 and I started EMDR therapy to process my trauma. It has helped so much. I urge you to seek a trauma therapist so you can start healing. You’re not alone, you have a whole community of people, the Jewish connection is so strong. We are all brothers and sisters and we are in this together. 

&gt; I was super naive, and I feel like I helped people who only ever wished me harm. 

At least you're lucky enough to realize this and get out. Some don't realize this until people they were trying to help are cutting their throat.

MedvedTrader

I work in for a humanitarian organization in the US. I have felt extremely torn with the conflict there. You went in with an intention of neutrality and did what you needed to do. Do not blame, feel guilty or call yourself terrible things. You were there on the ground and I can guarantee made a difference for those struggling. Thank you for your service and please consider prioritizing your own mental health. I have dealt with many people, even within my own jewish community that have been quick to blame the humanitarian organizations involved on the ground there without considering the well intentioned people on the ground doing the work you did.

Axe_Em_ERock

Amid a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, US President Donald Trump's envoy visited aid distribution sites amidst accusations regarding Israel's military actions contributing to starvation.

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