PM knocks WFP’s McCain after she lamented seeing starving children on Gaza visit

Two days after meeting UN World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office blasts the American for what it claims are statements that contradict what she said in their sit-down.

“Ms. McCain agreed that the aid looted by Hamas does not reach its intended humanitarian destination and that Hamas seizes the aid and sells it at exorbitant prices,” says the PMO.

“McCain said that during her recent visit to Gaza, she observed a dramatic improvement: food was available, prices had dropped and markets had sufficient goods at reasonable prices,” Netanyahu’s office continues. “It is unfortunate that since the meeting, Ms. McCain has issued statements that contradict what she said in Jerusalem during that meeting.”

The PMO did not specify which allegedly contradictory statements of McCain’s it was referring to.

US Senator Lindsey Graham was at the meeting, and said that it went very well.

McCain did speak multiple times about starvation in Gaza, but stopped short of directly pointing the finger at Israel.

“I met starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition – and I saw photos of when they were healthy. Today they are unrecognizable,” McCain said, according to the WFP.

“What we need is a ceasefire. My heart goes out to the mothers in Gaza, as well as to the mothers of the Israeli hostages, whose children are currently starving. Enough is enough,” McCain said during a visit to Ramallah. “We can quickly scale up humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable inside Gaza, support the return of all hostages, and lay the foundation for peace and stability.”

Netanyahu and McCain released a joint statement a full day after their meeting, calling it “constructive” and noting the recent increase in aid going into Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office sought to paint McCain as having blamed Israel for the hunger in Gaza, but there don’t seem to be comments from her making that allegation explicitly.

“Instead of falsely accusing Israel, the World Food Programme should fully cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is operating successfully and providing food in Gaza,” says the PMO. “The only people being deliberately starved in Gaza are our hostages held by Hamas.”