After Front Page Feature, NYT Walks Back Gaza Child Misinformation
30th July 2025
In an act many supporters of Israel were calling a “blood libel,” The New York Times first slapped an image of an emaciated Palestinian child on the front page of their Sunday edition paper and blamed Israel for his condition, accusing the Jewish state of using starvation as a weapon against children. But on Tuesday, the purported paper of record was forced to walk back their smears because it was exposed that the child had a pre-existing medical condition that was largely responsible for his physical appearance, and the image cropped out the child’s brother who appeared nourished.
In an earlier edition of the report available via the Wayback Machine, The Times introduced the child, saying: “Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, about 18 months old, lives with his mother and brother in a tent on a Gaza beach.” Adding: “Mohammed, she said, was born a healthy child. ‘I look at him and I can’t help but cry,’ she said.”
But following The Times’ emphasis on the child, it was discovered that he was born with a condition that effected his muscle development, likely contributing to the emaciated look of his body.