Palestinians have been flocking to the beach in Gaza this week, as temperatures soared and families took advantage of a lull in fighting in most of the area.
A displaced Palestinian boy plays with a dog on the beach in Gaza Strip as people flee to the seashore from the high temperatures inside the displacement tents and try to escape from the bitter reality of war on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Photo by Saher Alghorra / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by SAHER ALGHORRA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Palestinians play volleyball on a beach in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel pulled out its ground forces from southern Gaza earlier this month, leaving one brigade in control of an access road that divides the northern and southern Gaza Strip. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have continued to attack Hamas in targeted operations, but most areas of Gaza are enjoying calm.
Palestinians gather on the beach in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Palestinian children play on a trampoline on the beach in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
At the same time, Israeli authorities — urged by the U.S. — are accelerating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. There is so much food entering Gaza that the prices of commodities like flour and eggs have collapsed.
A Palestinian child swims at a beach in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA – APRIL 17: Palestinians try to cool off by swimming in the sea in the coastal area of Deir al-Balah as Israeli attacks continue on Gaza on April 17, 2024. Palestinians who left their homes and took refuge in Deir al-Balah due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza struggle to survive under harsh conditions. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Though aid organizations and foreign critics of Israel continue to warn about “famine,” there is evidence of plenty in the Gaza Strip. The IDF unit known as COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) posted photographs of markets in Gaza brimming with fruit, vegetables, and other food items for sale.
Market scenes in northern Gaza yesterday, April 17 pic.twitter.com/bI4DTWMLwa
— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 18, 2024
As images of Gazans at the beach circulated on social media, many pro-Israel voices pointed to the photos as evidence that there is no “famine” or “genocide” in Gaza.
Israel is still planning an attack on the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, which is the last Hamas stronghold.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
