Good morning, readers!

Let us be upfront: Today’s lead story is infuriating.

It is a fascinating case where a blatant double standard is paraded as “just” and “humanitarian” by mainstream media and the “neutral” voices of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Today’s hotspots

Hamas supporter finds out.

Recently, there has been discussion on the internet about a meme that “writes itself.”

This refers to a comparison of two videos uploaded by @saleh.aljafarawi, a citizen of Gaza.

• The first video was uploaded during a rocket attack on Israel.

• The second video shows the uploader crying in a hospital following retaliatory strikes by Israel.

🐾 The first video.

Here, the Gazan is seen smiling blissfully as rockets fly above him toward Israel. He points to the sky and repeats “Allahu Akbar,” which translates to “God is the greatest.”

He is reportedly a musician who has sung in praise of Hamas on multiple occasions.

🐾 The second video.

Contrast the first video with this one, where he is seen weeping after Israel retaliates. Now, it goes without saying that the death of innocent people in Gaza is painfully tragic. But Honestly, what did @saleh.aljafarawi expect? A bouquet of flowers?

🐾 The meme.

Behold, the meme:

The video version:

🐾 Serious questions.

Those who claim to be “neutral” condemn Hamas, yet chide those who mock Palestinian suffering. They, along with pro-Palestine activists, are also the ones calling out people ridiculing @saleh.aljafarawi.

• Yet, why is it acceptable for @saleh.aljafarawi and many other alike to be almost in a state of ecstasy when rockets are being fired toward Israel, and not okay when people are mocking @saleh.aljafarawi’s hypocritical weeping?

• Why is it Islamophobic genocide when Israel retaliates against Hamas, and a predictable result of years of repression by the far-right wing government of Israel when Hamas invades Israel?

Double standard?

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇮🇱 Israel:

UN chief called on to quit.

After the UN Secretary-General gave a speech at the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Israel’s envoy to the UN accused Guterres of being “disconnected from reality” and “showing compassion for the most terrible atrocities” committed by Hamas.

He also said Guterres is not fit to lead the UN and should resign immediately.

✱ NOTE: Although Guterres “implicitly condemned” Hamas for using civilians as human shields, he also referred to Israel’s retaliatory actions as “clear violations of international humanitarian law.” Also note that Israel explicitly directed Gazans to safety, while Hamas ordered its citizens to stay put. Should Israel remain passive?

🇩🇪 Germany:

Truck terrorist plot foiled by police in Duisburg.

A pro-Israel rally in Duisburg was saved from a deadly attack by a truck-driving terrorist, thanks to the swift action of the German police. The 29-year-old suspect was allegedly planning to ram his vehicle into the crowd of demonstrators, following the example of previous attacks in Europe.

✱ NOTE: The suspect was previously sentenced to five years in jail for his membership of the Islamic State.

🇮🇸 Iceland:

Iceland’s PM strikes with thousands of women.

PM Katrín Jakobsdóttir, in conjunction with thousands of Iceland’s women, are downing tools to protest the gender pay gap and gender-based violence. The impact will be felt especially in the healthcare and education sectors, where women form the majority.

This is despite Iceland being ranked the best country for gender equality by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for 14 years in a row.

✱ NOTE: In terms of pay, do they want equality of outcome or opportunity? Because they are currently dominating certain sectors in representation. This issue isn’t as simple as claiming “women are paid less than men!” There is a variety of factors that contribute to the disparity.

For example, women are statistically less likely to work in certain “hard labor” jobs. This generally results in a smaller pool of workers and greater demand, which can be a factor that leads to higher income. The statistics shared here are from a US-based study, but it is strikingly similar to the stats mentioned in the article.

🇫🇮 Finland:

Chinese ship suspected of using an anchor to damage the Baltic Sea pipeline.

• The ship: NewNew Polar Bear (Hong Kong-registered, Chinese-owned).

• What happened: Finnish police lifted an anchor near the area in question. Drag marks were observed on the pipeline.

• So what? The ship is missing a front anchor.

Investigators are trying to contact the ship and determine if the damage was intentional or accidental.

✱ NOTE: Investigators are trying to contact the ship and determine if the damage was intentional or accidental.