French newspaper cartoon criticised for mocking Gazans' hunger during holy month of Ramadan

A cartoon depicting Palestinian hunger in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, published in the French daily, Liberation, sparked ire on social media, with some criticising the widely-read daily for mocking Israeli forces’ “genocide” in the besieged enclave.

The cartoon titled “Ramadan in Gaza – The start of a fasting month” was drawn by Corinne Rey, a former cartoonist at the infamous satire magazine, Charlie Hebdo.

France’s left-wing newspaper Liberation publishes a cartoon mocking Muslims in Gaza, who are being starved to death by Israel. pic.twitter.com/eWQCmrRjxd

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 11, 2024

The drawing depicts a ruined city in the background and a hand sticking out of the rubble, while a heavily breathing man chases two mice and bugs down the street. A woman sits on the street with a starving boy next to her and angrily alerts the running man, by saying, “Not before the sunset,” alluding to the Islamic practice of day-long fasting.

Social media users left angry comments under Liberation’s post on X, expressing their ire at how the cartoon mocked “genocide”.

Many users believed the cartoon clearly mocked Gazans, deprived of basic needs and humanitarian aid, leaving them to starve.

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