After long silence, Bob Geldof slams Israel's starving of Palestinians in Gaza

Irish musician Bob Geldof has slammed Israel's starving of Palestinians in Gaza, prompting criticism of the activist's prolonged silence amid Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Geldof condemned Israel’s conduct in the territory, which has killed at least 59,821 Palestinians since the outbreak of the war on 7 October 2023.

Responding to remarks earlier this week by a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, who rejected reports that Israel is responsible for staggering starvation rates in Gaza, Geldof stressed that Israeli authorities were "lying".

The singer added: "They're lying. [Benjamin] Netanyahu lies, is a liar. The [Israeli forces] are lying. They're dangling food in front of starving, panicked, exhausted mothers."

He continued: "And while they arrive to accept the tiny amount of food that this sort of set-up pantomime outfit- the Gaza Humanitarian Front, I would call it- as they dangle it, then they're shot wantonly.

"This month, up to now, 1,000 children or 1,000 people have died of starvation. I'm really not interested in what either of these sides are saying."

International pressure is intensifying on Netanyahu’s government to end the mass starvation of Gaza, alongside sustained criticism of the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) charged with distributing aid.

Reports continue to surface of Palestinians suffering and dying from hunger, as well as being killed near GHF-managed aid sites. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed at the GHF-run sites, with Israeli forces and GHF contractors opening deadly fire on the aid seekers.

During his Sky News interview, Geldof also issued a call to Israeli citizens protesting the nearly two-year war in Gaza and demanding the return of hostages.

He urged them to take direct action by getting "in your cars, stock your cars full of food and drive through that border and let your own army stop you".

He added: "Stop it, you guys, stop it. Shame on you."

Geldof further criticised the UK government for what he described as an inadequate response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, stating it was "not enough".

'Distraction"

He dismissed recent political focus on recognising a Palestinian state as insufficient and merely symbolic.

"This is a distraction thing about ‘let's recognise the state’- absolutely, it should have been done ages ago, but it's not going to make any material difference," he said, in reference to calls for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to commit to recognising Palestine.

Geldof also addressed why he, a singer who had long advocated for humanitarian causes, had chosen to finally speak out.

Known globally for organising the Live Aid concerts to combat famine in Ethiopia, Geldof’s absence from the Gaza discourse had drawn public scrutiny.

"It enrages me to a point beyond comprehension when I see the images published by Sky News and what [former Gaza-based British surgeon] Dr [Nick] Maynard has been reporting from inside Gaza," he said.

“And at that point, I thought, the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, my own past and history with this- I thought I should say something now."

'Turned a blind eye'

Geldof’s comments have triggered a flurry of reactions, as users took to social media to highlight his long silence on the matter.

One user on X said: "It enrages Bob Geldof to a point beyond comprehension. I agree with him, I cannot comprehend a person being 'outraged beyond comprehension' yet saying absolutely nothing about it, not one word, for 21 months. Truly cannot be comprehended, must be a lie."

Another added: "Those like Bob Geldof that have turned a blind eye to horrendous atrocities that Israel has been committing in Gaza for 21 months, and now speak out, really are the worst of us. An insult to those children that burnt to death in the tents of Rafah, and those shot dead in cold blood."

Meanwhile, UK Conservative cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch reiterated her pro-Israel stance during a separate interview with Sky News on the same day, pushing back against Geldof’s views.

She claimed that "Israel [is] allowing humanitarian aid to go in."

On Sunday, Jordanian and Emirati aircraft airdropped food supplies into Gaza, as Israel initiated a limited "tactical pause" in military operations to facilitate humanitarian relief amid ongoing Israeli attacks, limited access and restrictions on the entry of aid.

The Israeli military also said it had carried out an airdrop into the besieged territory, delivering seven pallets of food.

However, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that one-third of Gaza’s population has gone without food for days, while 470,000 people are facing “famine-like conditions” that have already begun to result in deaths.