Van Jones Faces Backlash for Dismissing Gaza Famine as 'Propaganda' in Video with Noa Tishby
US political analyst Van Jones drew sharp criticism for appearing in a video with Israeli activist Noa Tishby, where he dismissed images of a starving child in Gaza as 'propaganda.' Jones argued that the child, 18-month-old Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, had a genetic condition and was not being starved by Israel, despite the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declaring a Phase 5 famine in Gaza in August 2025. Critics, including journalist Ryan Grim, noted that while the child had pre-existing health issues, starvation exacerbated the condition. The IPC recently reported that 59% of Gaza’s population faced crisis-level food insecurity from April to June 2026, and at least 461 people have died from malnutrition since the conflict began in 2023. Jones had previously apologized for similar remarks in 2025, calling them 'insensitive and hurtful.'
