Athens Mayor Haris Doukas delivered a fierce rebuke Sunday to Israel’s ambassador over accusations of antisemitic graffiti in the Greek capital, sharply turning the spotlight on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
"We don’t need lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians and children in food lines,” Doukas told Israeli envoy Noam Katz, responding to Katz’s criticism of Athens for failing to promptly remove antisemitic slogans. "It is appalling that Mr. Ambassador focuses only on graffiti, which is apparently being erased, while an unprecedented genocide is being carried out in Gaza.”
Doukas underlined Athens’ commitment to democratic values, free speech, and respect for visitors, but emphasized that "we do not accept lessons from those who lead dozens of people to death every day – from bombs, hunger, and thirst.”
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens
Doukas’ condemnation resonates amid grim reports from Gaza, where violence and starvation have pushed the population to the brink of collapse.
On Monday alone, at least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire across central and southern Gaza, including 10 civilians shot while trying to collect humanitarian aid from U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution points.
Panicked crowds were fired upon near aid sites in the Netzarim Corridor and Rafah, with witnesses describing scenes of chaos as Israeli troops opened fire without warning.
Video footage captured lifeless bodies – some of them children – scattered beside torn sacks of flour and canned goods.
At Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, mourners waited to recover relatives killed near food lines.
Due to a shortage of traditional white burial shrouds, bodies were wrapped in household blankets.
The previous day, 13 Palestinians were killed while waiting at the Zikim crossing near the Israeli border.
In Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, two successive airstrikes hit a civilian area, killing seven.
Four died in the first blast; three more were killed as they rushed to assist. In Beit Lahia, two civilians died in another attack on food queues.
An airstrike in Deir al-Balah flattened a family home, killing a father, mother, and daughter. In Rafah, Israeli troops shot dead two civilians and wounded over 20 waiting in line for aid.
Starvation and disease ravage Gaza
The humanitarian crisis worsened as Gaza’s Health Ministry reported five new deaths from starvation, including two children, bringing the total famine-related deaths to 180, of whom 93 are minors, since the Israeli siege began in October 2023.
Medical staff also confirmed three new deaths from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare but increasingly common neurological illness linked to malnutrition, stress, and vitamin deficiency. Physicians warn Gaza faces a "public health collapse” without urgent delivery of medicines and nutrition.
Despite Israeli claims of facilitating over 1,200 trucks carrying 23,000 tons of aid last week, UN officials report many shipments remain stranded, looted, or unable to reach distribution centers.
Aid groups say Gaza needs 600 trucks daily to meet basic survival needs – the prewar average.
Israeli military restrictions and ongoing violence near aid sites further hinder safe access.
Israel blames Hamas for these challenges and says it offers "humanitarian pauses” and safe corridors, but continued attacks on aid lines contradict these claims.