Consider This from NPR: What Reporting in Gaza Shows Amid Trump's Break from Netanyahu on Starvation
Introduction
In the July 28, 2025 episode of NPR's "Consider This," titled "What Reporting in Gaza Shows Amid Trump's Break from Netanyahu on Starvation," hosts delve into the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The episode examines the complex interplay between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, the international community's responses, and on-the-ground realities faced by Gaza's civilians.
Shifting Political Narratives
The episode opens with Mary Louise Kelly highlighting the emerging dynamics between Netanyahu and Trump:
"New light has emerged between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump. On Sunday, Netanyahu reasserted this claim." [00:00]
Anas Bhabha challenges the portrayal of Israel's actions in Gaza:
"Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza. What a bold-faced lie." [00:09]
However, President Trump offers a contrasting perspective during his visit to Scotland:
"That's real starvation stuff. I see it and you can't fake that." [00:24]
He further supports his stance by emphasizing humanitarian aid:
"Those children look very hungry, but we're giving a lot of money and a lot of food. And other nations are now stepping up. I know that this nation is right." [00:29]
Despite previous setbacks in ceasefire discussions, Trump remains cautiously optimistic:
"I thought a ceasefire was still possible." [00:48]
He outlines potential solutions, including setting up aid centers:
"The US would set up centers with no boundaries where people could walk in for food." [01:04]
Intensifying Humanitarian Crisis
Mary Louise Kelly underscores the gravity of the situation:
"It's a humanitarian crisis. It's an absolute catastrophe." [00:45]
NPR's Eleanor Beardsley provides a firsthand account of Gaza's dire conditions:
"I've come into Gaza with the IDF. We've had an escort. We were brought in in trucks. We're wearing our gear, our flak jackets and our helmets. I can hear shooting like tank fire and small gunfire in the distance. This is a desolate place that feels like the end of the earth." [03:31]
Conflict Over Aid Distribution
Elon Levy, an Israeli government spokesperson, criticizes the United Nations' role in aid distribution:
"Israel has called the UN's bluff because here are hundreds and hundreds of pallets of aid that the UN is letting rot in the sun. And instead of taking responsibility for that failure, fessing up, they're blaming Israel and pretending that Israel isn't letting this aid in altogether." [04:10]
In response, the United Nations clarifies the challenges faced:
"It's impossible to deliver the aid under what it called extremely challenging circumstances that put civilians and aid workers at tremendous risk." [04:25]
Brigadier General Effi Defron of the Israeli army echoes Israeli officials' stance:
"We've seen the pictures coming out of Gaza. It's breaking our hearts. But most of it is fake, fake distributed by Hamas. It's a campaign. Unfortunately, some of the Israeli media, including international media, is distributing this information in those false pictures and creating an image of starvation which doesn't exist." [05:08]
Contrary to these claims, the UN Human Rights Office reports:
"About 90,000 women and children are severely malnourished in Gaza and need immediate medical care." [05:08]
Personal Stories Highlighting Crisis
Anas Bhabha brings personal narratives to the forefront, illustrating the human toll of the crisis:
"In this tent by the sea, Hiday Al Mutawak tries to offer what comfort she can to her youngest child, 1 1/2 year old Muhammad. She don't have anything. The child weighs less than four and a half kilograms. His mother is feeding him water, only water, and she's all of the time trying to tell the world that the famine and the malnutrition is hitting severely in Gaza and spreading non-stop." [05:51]
Dr. Ahmed Al Farra emphasizes the long-term impacts on children:
"This war is scarring a generation of children." [07:28]
President Trump adds his perspective on the developmental consequences:
"A generation of children who are below three years because the central nervous system is nearly composed in these three years." [07:39]
Anas Bhabha continues to highlight potential neurological impairments:
"If these children survive, Al Farra worries they will suffer from neurological impairments." [07:49]
Salwa Shamali, a 20-year-old from Gaza, shares her struggles to support her family:
"Salwa Shamali... spends all her time trying find ways to keep her young siblings alive. She says, 'I care more about food and water. I don't care about the news. Half of our family are young children and we think of them more.'" [08:05]
Hiday Al Mutawak's story further personalizes the crisis:
"Hiday Al Mutawak... tries to keep her one and a half-year-old son Muhammad alive. She had lost her home, her livelihood, but she has her two children and wants to keep them both alive." [08:25]
Conclusion and Call to Action
Mary Louise Kelly wraps up the segment by emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire to facilitate effective aid delivery:
"Even as global outrage and assistance grows, aid agencies say only a total ceasefire will allow all the necessary aid to get to those who desperately need it in Gaza." [01:04]
Production Credits
The episode was produced by Elena Burnett and Megan Lynne, edited by Ashley Brown and Tara Neal, with Sami Yenigun serving as the executive producer.
Supporting Journalism
The episode concludes with a reminder of NPR's commitment to independent journalism amidst funding challenges, urging listeners to support through donations.
"Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. That means that the NPR network is moving forward in an uncharted future. But our commitment to you will never waver. Please give today to support the kind of journalism that democracy relies upon." [01:41]
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