Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) pushed back against widespread media portrayals of Israel’s role in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, claiming that food and medical supplies are being intercepted and exploited by Hamas—not withheld by Israel.
Pody, who recently returned from a weeklong trip to Israel with a group of 250 state legislators from across the U.S. to gather firsthand experience learning about the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, said he witnessed briefings and intelligence reports that directly contradict popular narratives seen in Western media.
Specifically, Pody pushed back on those portraying Israel as responsible for Palestinian suffering, claiming Hamas hijacks humanitarian aid from the United Nations, feeds its own fighters, sells food to civilians, and uses propaganda—such as staged photos of malnourished babies—to manipulate public opinion.
“The UN would be sending trucks in…and immediately Hamas would take over that truck. It wasn’t going to the people. They would take that truck, feed it to their soldiers, and then they’d store it. If there was extra food, they were selling it to the Palestinians,” Pody, who co-chairs the Tennessee-Israel Legislative Caucus, explained on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
“There was a picture, for example, they were showing us…of [what they claim] was a starving baby…That baby was sick, absolutely sick. But the supposed mother was well fed. Nothing wrong with her. They said the baby was taken out of a hospital that was truly sick, and gave it to somebody else so they could do this propaganda. There were a lot of things going on like that where we’re not getting the actual facts of what it is,” he added.
Pody further emphasized that Israel warns civilians in Gaza before strikes, even dropping leaflets, but Hamas uses civilians as human shields.
“[Israel] said they warn Palestinians, give them leaflets. Nobody is surprised when helicopters come to shoot those missiles, but Hamas would literally put civilians in [those areas] knowing that they’re going to be killed,” he said.
Going on to note how he met directly with members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), both on and off duty, to gain firsthand insight into the ongoing conflict with Hamas, Pody said the soldiers he spoke with expressed a singular, personal mission for the ongoing fight in Gaza: bringing their hostages home.
According to Pody, the narrative being pushed by some media outlets that Israel is prolonging or escalating the war for political or territorial gain misrepresents Israel’s objectives on the ground.
“There are a total of 48 either bodies or hostages that they haven’t gotten back and they feel that there’s 21 of them that are still alive…The IDF soldiers said, ‘The only thing we want is our hostages home. We’re not trying to get more land. We’re not trying to do anything else. We just want our hostages home, and we promised that if one of us is there, we will go and rescue that one’,” Pody said.
Addressing why some conservatives oppose further aid to Israel, Pody acknowledged the general frustration with foreign aid while domestic issues remain unresolved but framed continuing aid to Israel as a wise investment and consistent with American strategic interests.
He argued that unlike other countries, Israel is a trustworthy ally that requires only financial—not human—support and provides significant intelligence and security benefits to the U.S.
“I want to make sure we’re supporting our friends and not supporting our enemies,” Pody said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
