On Wednesday, October 18, American stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman reposted a statement by user @elianaeatz on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict on her Instagram Story, sparking outrage and backlash from netizens. As per social media users, the post seemed to downplay Gaza's food and water crisis.
The post referenced Israel's decision for a "complete seize" on the Gaza Strip with no food, electricity, or fuel, two days after Hamas's attack on the country on October 7, 2023.
"PSA: There is a very strange thing happening. Many are saying that it's inhumane that Israel is cutting off water/electricity to Gaza. Israel made it pretty simple - 'release the hostages and we will turn it back on," Sarah Silverman's story read.
The Jewish comedian's words in support of Israel were criticized heavily. One netizen clarified that the Israeli government did not specify a plea to get the hostages back from Hamas when they announced the siege.
Sarah Silverman faces blowback for supporting Israel cutting off Gaza’s water, fuel and electricity supply
On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Sunni Islamist political and military organization currently governing the Palestinian territories' Gaza Strip, attacked southern and central Israel. They launched thousands of rockets, striking major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The troops infiltrated the land and took over bases, taking hostages, as per the New York Times.
Reuters reported that between 200 and 250 people are still captured by Hamas, while at least 1,400 people have been killed and 3,800 injured. A day after the attack, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, an impoverished area with over 2 million civilians already in an unlawful 16-year blockade. He gave a statement saying,
"I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, and no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly."
Sara Silverman's Instagram story alludes to the siege and claims that Israel's action was backed by its aim to free the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. It reads,
"Instead of pleading with Hamas to release civilian hostages which include babies and toddlers, there are politicians (cough cough AOC ) calling Israel inhumane."
AOC here refers to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an American politician and activist. Sarah Silverman continued,
"If that isn't enough for you: Israel does not need to supply Gaza with these resources (which they do, for free). If Hamas didn't spend billions of dollars on terrorism they would be able to build the infrastructure to support themselves."
As per Newsweek, netizens were outraged by Sarah Silverman's comments about Gaza's civilians, with some criticizing her post and calling it "genocidal."
Slamming Hamas, the Jewish comedian also said that Palestinians in Gaza would be able to build the infrastructure to support themselves if "Hamas didn’t spend billions of dollars on terrorism." Highlighting this, fans pointed out that there are laws in place that prevent Gaza from building the necessary infrastructure.
The death toll in Gaza and hostage situation
There was no mention of hostages by the Israeli government at the time of Gallant's announcement of the siege. However, as per Human Rights Watch, Hamas has declared that it will not release the hostages until Israel ends its airstrike on Gaza.
They also seek a hostage swap in exchange for releasing 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, detained by Israel. According to Reuters, the death toll in Gaza has reached at least 4,079 Palestinians, including 1,413 children and 806 women. The blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital on October 17, 2023, has killed over 470 people.
