Foreign Affairs

World Health Organization Posts Video Depicting Gaza As A Land Of Teddy Bears And Balloons

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The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Palestinian arm posted a video to its profile on X, formerly Twitter, that depicts the Gaza Strip as a land of teddy bears and balloons on Tuesday.

The video, which promotes the WHO’s stance that Israel should commit to a ceasefire in its ongoing war against Hamas, shows the Gaza Strip as a pleasant community with teddy bears, balloons and kites flying above it before cutting to images of buildings and teddy bears on fire as sirens and the cries of a child play in the background. The video claims that Israeli operations targeting Hamas have resulted in the deaths of 4,100 children, without acknowledging that the statistic comes from the Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the direct supervision of Hamas’ political arm, according to The New York Times.

The video also fails to acknowledge that Israel has made extensive efforts to urge civilians to evacuate from areas that its military forces intend to target to eliminate Hamas, an organization that the U.S. and the European Union have designated as a terrorist group. Similarly, the video does not prompt viewers to consider that Hamas, which was elected to run the Gaza Strip in 2006, is known to place its military assets and infrastructure beneath or in close proximity to densely-populated areas, as well as hospitals, schools and other non-military buildings.

Somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son, somebody’s sister, somebody’s brother

Somebody’s everything

Gone.

In just one month 4104 children have been killed in Gaza.@WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/pLk9MUMajY

— WHO in occupied Palestinian territory (@WHOoPt) November 7, 2023

The WHO is the public health-focused segment of the United Nations, which has seen many of its officials call for a ceasefire in the conflict. Many on the political left, including sitting members of the American government and social justice organizations, have advocated for a ceasefire as well, in many cases characterizing Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks as an act of colonial violence or even genocide.

The WHO drew scrutiny during the pandemic for its connections and apparent deference to China. The Trump administration began to withdraw from the WHO in 2020 for its handling of the pandemic, a process which the Biden administration reversed on its first full day in power.

The WHO and the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean office, which oversees the work of the organization’s Palestinian arm, did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.