During a period of international grief and Israeli occupation forces’ aggression in Gaza, the mayor of Nice, France made controversial claims suggesting that Palestinian mothers use “dolls” as dead bodies.
In a televised interview on Sunday, Mayor Christian Estrosi claimed that the media have been displaying “images of mothers crying over plastic baby dolls.”
The Nice mayor also expressed support for the US decision to oppose a ceasefire in Gaza, claiming that it is Hamas that has been killing civilians not Israel.
The statement, seemingly inspired by Israeli media claims, has stirred further controversy and triggered international backlash about the French official’s double standards and inhumane remarks.
According to BFMTV, association Nice to Gaza has announced filing a complaint against Estrosi following his controversial television appearance. The association strongly condemned the false and serious remarks, describing them as “dehumanizing and unacceptable.”
“The Mayor of Nice represents a serious discourse with false statements,” quoted BFMTV of the politician.
“It is unacceptable and shameful to have statements that cast doubt on the suffering of Palestinian civilians who have lost family members killed by the Israeli army,” the association added.
The claims come at a time when tens of thousands of Palestinians are being murdered by Israeli occupation forces at the hands of inaction from the international community.
The latest death toll updates report that nearly 8,000 children have been killed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 7.
The total number killed by Israeli occupation forces’ bloody and murderous campaign reached at least or over 18,200 people.
Influenced by Israeli claims
Despite the alarming and devastating situation in Gaza, the media – mainly in Israel and the US – continues to legitimize Israeli aggression through a number of claims – including fake reporting – suggesting that mothers have been using dolls as dead babies.
The Jerusalem Post sparked controversy earlier this month after it published claims similar to those made by the French mayor. The Israeli media publicly accused Al Jazeera of posting a video, which filmed a family using a doll as a dead body.
“It is unclear if Al Jazeera had edited the footage themselves in an attempt to deliberately mislead the public or if they had shared the footage without properly researching the background,” read The Jerusalem Post’s now-deleted article.
The Jerusalem Post, however, deleted the article and posted a tweet on December 2, claiming that it shared content based on “faulty sourcing.”
“The article in question did not meet our editorial standards and was thus removed …We regret this incident and remain committed to upholding the highest journalistic standards at all times,” the Israeli news outlet said.
The France 24 Observer also denied claims made by The Jerusalem Post and other Israeli media, which questioned the authenticity of the video posted by Al Jazeera. The Observer emphasized that videos do show a “dead Gazan baby and not a doll.”
“Aside from the two independent journalists who posted their videos on Instagram, Turkish news agency Anadolu was also on-site and provided more information about the context and the identity of the victim,” The Observer stressed.
