Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government for perpetuating the starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of bearing responsibility for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

In an interview Monday morning on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” Emanuel, who is Jewish, accused Netanyahu of refusing to acknowledge allegations of starvation in the Strip.

“It has nothing to do with Israel’s security. You need to get food into that area, Gaza, to feed the people there and stop enforcing some type of collective punishment on the people of Gaza,” Emanuel said.

When asked by Blitzer whether he was “blaming Israel for what’s going on in Gaza,” Emanuel replied, “They are responsible.”

“I am putting this at the doorstep of where it belongs, and the idea the prime minister just yesterday says there’s no starvation, people’s eyes do not lie to them,” said Emanuel. “And so I think in this case, from a strategic standpoint, from a moral standpoint, and from a political standpoint, it’s fully bankrupt.”

Netanyahu posted on X Monday, “There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza.” US President Donald Trump

© The Times of Israel