France 24 Discovers Recreational Activities for Children Under Siege
France 24's latest dispatch hails volunteers offering 'moments of happiness' to children in Gaza's Khan Yunis, displaced by 'the war.' One might wonder, what 'war' are these children fleeing, and who precisely is waging it? The story, focused on art and psychological support, conveniently sidesteps the 15+ years of blockade, repeated bombardments, and the destruction of infrastructure that makes
such 'respite' necessary. No mention of the $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid (Congressional Research Service, 2023) to the entity creating these displaced children. It's a familiar media dance: spotlight the band-aid, ignore the gaping wound, and certainly don't question the surgeon with the bloody scalpel. How many 'moments of happiness' are needed to distract from homes shattered,
schools obliterated, and thousands of children killed since October? The real story isn't the workshops; it's the systemic barbarity that makes them necessary—a barbarity the funding of which implicates many Western governments and their media.