Piers Morgan confronted media personality Dave Rubin over his denial of starvation in Gaza, highlighting disturbing humanitarian statistics during their heated exchange. According to the World Health Organization, 361 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition as of September 2025, including 130 children. The confrontation emerged after Rubin dismissed United Nations reports documenting the crisis.
During the tense interview, Dave Rubin rejected international findings about the dire situation in Gaza. However, Morgan presented evidence showing tens of thousands of preschool-aged children in Gaza suffering from preventable acute malnutrition and facing increased mortality risks. Furthermore, the debate intensified when Morgan referenced reports indicating that up to 20,000 children may have died during the conflict. This exchange represents a significant moment in the ongoing media coverage of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with Morgan challenging those who dispute documented evidence of suffering.
Piers Morgan confronts Dave Rubin on Gaza starvation denial
The heated exchange began when Rubin directly asked Morgan, “You acknowledge that there’s been no starvation, correct?” Morgan immediately rejected this premise, responding firmly that he had seen numerous images of starving Gazans.
“I’ve seen a lot, but you would dismiss them all as fakes,” Morgan stated pointedly. He emphasized that multiple credible sources confirmed the crisis: “The UN says there was starvation, but you guys don’t believe a word the UN says. The other official bodies say there was starvation. You don’t want to hear a word they say”.
Throughout the debate, Rubin attempted to discredit evidence by questioning where videos of starving Gazans were, despite widespread documentation. Morgan remained steadfast, telling Rubin, “You can say that no Gazan has starved at all. That’s entirely your prerogative. The reports by almost every official body say the opposite, but you don’t believe them”.
Morgan specifically mentioned his belief that “the 3-month blockade earlier this year was a criminal blockade” and that it represented “deliberate starvation of people, deliberately denying them food and aid”.
Additionally, Morgan challenged Rubin’s dismissive attitude toward international organizations documenting the crisis, noting that Rubin and his allies systematically reject evidence from the UN and other humanitarian groups.
Morgan challenges Israeli media restrictions
Beyond the starvation debate, Morgan challenged Israel’s unprecedented media restrictions in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel has barred all independent press access to Gaza, forcing the world to rely primarily on Palestinian journalists already inside the territory.
“My firm message to Prime Minister Netanyahu: let the journalists in,” Morgan stated at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai. He called the ban “a complete disgrace” that makes it “incredibly difficult” to verify facts about the war.
Moreover, Morgan rejected Israel’s justification for the ban: “Israel is pretending it’s because of our safety – please, we’re not stupid”.
The only access granted to foreign media has been through highly controlled military escorts where Israeli forces determine what journalists see, whom they speak with, and subsequently review all footage before broadcast.
“Let the international journalists in, and then we can work out whether what Israel is saying is correct. My suspicion is it’s not,” Morgan added pointedly.
Meanwhile, press freedom organizations have challenged the restrictions in Israel’s Supreme Court. The Committee to Protect Journalists has described Israel’s actions as “the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists” they have ever documented, with at least 192 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since the conflict began.
Debate shifts to Israeli policy and proportionality
As the interview progressed, the conversation between Morgan and Rubin expanded beyond starvation denial to examine broader questions about Israeli policy and proportionality of military actions in Gaza.
Throughout the exchange, Morgan referenced concerning statements from high-ranking Israeli officials. Indeed, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had previously declared that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” and advocated for “destroying everything that’s left of the Gaza Strip”. Similarly, Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu stated, “Thank God, we are wiping out this evil” and claimed “All Gaza will be Jewish”.
Morgan pressed Rubin on these extreme positions, especially after Smotrich suggested it might be “just and moral” to starve Gaza residents until hostages were returned, though acknowledging “no one in the world would let us”.
Although Prime Minister Netanyahu distanced himself from some of these comments, critics noted he took no disciplinary action against ministers making such statements.
The debate intensified as Morgan questioned whether Israel’s response constituted legitimate self-defense or something more extreme. He referenced academic perspectives suggesting Israel’s actions resembled “revenge, or the continuation of a long-running erasure of Palestinian identity” rather than proportional self-defense.
Rubin remained steadfast in defending Israel’s actions while Morgan continued challenging the ethical implications of statements from Israeli leadership.