News/Commentary

NYT forced to admit story about starving Gaza child was a hoax

July 30, 2025 | | Print Article

The New York Times walked back its claim that an emaciated Palestinian child was suffering from malnutrition that was featured in a story about alleged starvation in Gaza.

In a ghastly picture that was prominently featured with the story, a woman is holding sickly one and a half year old Mohammed Zakaria al Mutawaq, who looks like a human skeleton, a harrowing image that was picked up by other media outlets across the world.

With the picture being used to portray a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza amid a global Israel-shaming propaganda campaign, something else was noticed that would soon bring great embarrassment to the once-venerable newspaper.

The boy’s older brother, Joud, who was standing in the background in one of the photos, appeared to be much healthier, a detail pointed out by the pro-Israel media watchdog group HonestReporting, which fact-checked the NYT.

“Another Photo. Another Lie,” the group states on its website, noting that it “was the first to highlight inconsistencies in the image set. In one of the photos, another child, reportedly Muhammad’s older brother, can be seen standing in the background. He appears well-nourished and perfectly healthy. That alone raised serious questions.”

Among the media outlets featuring the story was CNN which also reported that the young boy suffers from a “muscle disorder,” a “medical condition that requires ongoing physical therapy and specialized nutrition” and that his mother said that he was “happy” and “could sit upright” when he had access to those, according to HonestReporting,

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On Tuesday, the Times was forced to acknowledge that it had once again published fake news.

“We have appended an Editors’ Note to a story about Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a child in Gaza who was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. After publication, The Times learned that he also had pre-existing health problems,” the paper said in a post to X, including a statement that it has updated the story with new information.

“We recently ran a story about Gaza’s most vulnerable civilians, including Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition,” a spokesperson said in the statement. “We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems.”

The rare admission that it published misleading information drew a strong response from X users.

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“This article has been updated to include information about Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a child in Gaza suffering from severe malnutrition. After publication of the article, The Times learned from his doctor that Mohammed also had pre-existing health problems,” reads a blurb at the end of the updated version of the story.

“Time and again, they have run with unverified images and unchecked claims. No due diligence. No questions asked. Because these stories fit the narrative they want to tell – that Israel is waging a war against a helpless civilian population,” HonestReporting said of the media.

“Every outlet that promoted this false narrative must update their coverage to reflect the full truth: Muhammad has a medical condition. He is not simply a victim of starvation, and the image has been presented in a misleading and incomplete way,” the group added.

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Chris Donaldson
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