French newspaper cartoon sparks ire for mocking Gazans’ hunger during holy month of Ramadan

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – A cartoon depicting Palestinian hunger in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, published in the French daily Liberation, sparked ire on social media, with some criticizing the widely-read daily for mocking Israeli forces' "genocide" in the besieged enclave.

The cartoon, drawn by Corinne Rey for the daily, mocked people in hunger in Gaza amid Israeli attacks.

The drawing depicts a ruined city in the background, as well as a body's hand, sticking out of rubble. A heavily breathing man is chasing two mice and bugs down the street. A woman sits in the street with a seemingly starving boy next to her and angrily alerts the running man, saying, "Not before the sunset."

The cartoon's headline reads, "Ramadan in Gaza – The start of a fasting month."

Social media users left angry comments under Liberation's post on X, expressing their ire at the cartoon that mocked "genocide."

Many users believed the cartoon was mocking Gazans who are deprived of basic needs and humanitarian aid, leaving them to starve.

Others questioned why a similar cartoon has not been drawn during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.