'A Blood Libel': NY Times Admits to Misusing Sick Child Pic to Push Gaza Starvation Narrative

The New York Times discredited its own reporting this week after the newspaper had leveled accusations about starvation in Gaza. The news outlet has now quietly admitted it made a huge error by showing a provocative image of an emaciated child without reporting that he actually had a pre-existing medical condition.

Pro-Israel critics of the Times say it's more than an error, calling it "propaganda" and "blood libel."

And pro-Palestinian protesters are also angry, vandalizing the Times' NYC offices just because it revealed the misinformation it had helped to spread.  

In its report, the Times ran a photo of an emaciated child named Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, with his spine and rib cage visible through his skin.

But now it has become clear that the photo of the sick boy, shown in their front page article, wasn't proof of Gaza starvation because his pre-existing medical condition is what made him look that way. The child actually suffers from the genetic disorder cerebral palsy.

Before being exposed as inaccurate, the post had already traveled around the world, repeated by the BBC, CNN, Daily Express, and others. And The Jerusalem Post reports that the Times only amended its story after the Israeli Consulate General in New York pointed out the error. The correction wasn't highly publicized as the original front-page article was, either. Instead, it was admitted on the Times' much smaller PR account on X with only 89,000 followers compared to 55 million on its main account.

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Here's how the Times excused its massive error: "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." 

Adam Rubenstein, an editor and writer who formerly worked for the NY Times Opinion section, weighed in, criticizing the Times. "If you read carefully, this is an admission of a remarkable deception. They ran a story about malnutrition but didn't include the context that the malnutrition is not caused by a lack of food, but by a pre-existing condition, a disease that affects the child's ability to thrive."

If you read carefully, this is an admission of a remarkable deception. They ran a story about malnutrition but didn't include the context that the malnutrition is not caused by a lack of food, but by a pre-existing condition, a disease that affects the child's ability to thrive. https://t.co/wnzXJOlByo

— Adam Rubenstein (@RubensteinAdam) July 29, 2025

Israel's Foreign Ministry says it's a clear example of the NY Times and other news outlets "playing into the hands of Hamas' propaganda war."

Israel's i24news reports former Israeli prime minister and current Knesset member Naftali Bennet is accusing the Times of spreading disinformation and "intentionally" fueling "a blood libel" that has led to a "tsunami of hate" against the Jewish state. 

And Israel's X account points out that the boy's brother and mother are well fed and healthy by comparison, further disproving the anti-Israel starvation narrative being pushed by the establishment news media.

Unlike his brother standing by his side, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq suffers from cerebral palsy.

But BBC, CNN, Daily Express, and The New York Times spread a misleading story using a picture of a sick, disabled child to promote a narrative of mass starvation in Gaza —… pic.twitter.com/UzP5PhNSvU

— Israel (@Israel) July 29, 2025

Israel also pointed out several additional cases of starvation disinformation being promoted by the media in an effort to undermine Israel, including the case of a boy named Osama al-Raqab with cystic fibrosis.

This is what a modern blood libel looks like:

A sick child. A hijacked photo. A lie that spreads faster than truth.

His name is Osama al-Raqab. He has cystic fibrosis, a serious genetic illness.

He’s been in Italy receiving treatment since June 12.
Israel enabled his medical… pic.twitter.com/cCY2GYmKLj

— Israel  (@Israel) July 28, 2025

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Angry, Want NY Times to 'Continue Lying'

After the Times issued its correction, pro-Palestinian vandals lashed out and attacked the newspaper's offices in New York City, flooding the front of the building with red paint. Others spraypainted "NYT LIES, GAZA DIES" on a window.

After the NY Times apologize and retracted from the Gaza starving Hoax, the pro Hamas crowd was angry and vandalized their building pic.twitter.com/w7Y4cP0NHN

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 30, 2025

One commentator wrote on X, "The jihadists just defaced The NY Times building in Manhattan with red paint because they want The NY Times to continue lying about Israel and are triggered by their tiny apology."

The jihadists just defaced The NY Times building in Manhattan with red paint because they want The NY Times to continue lying about Israel and are triggered by their tiny apology. pic.twitter.com/9WXWK1DHCU

— Manhattan Mingle (@ManhattanMingle) July 30, 2025

Israel Consistently Providing Aid to Gaza

Meanwhile, Israel's leaders have been working in recent weeks to make their ongoing aid efforts more visible, airdropping aid and assisting visits to food storage centers in Gaza.

The IDF reports more than 850 aid trucks entered Gaza over the past week. And as CBN News reported, Israel also connected a power line to increase clean water output in Gaza by five million gallons per day.

Israel has facilitated consistent humanitarian aid deliveries of food for Gazans throughout the war that Hamas instigated on October 7, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued this week that if Israel hadn't been doing that, there wouldn't be anyone left in Gaza. "There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza," Netanyahu argued. 

Despite the evidence, Israel is left to fight a PR battle along with its military battle for survival as it tries to rescue 50 hostages still being held by terrorists in Gaza. 

Avi Abelow, host of Pulse of Israel, told CBN News, "Israel is dealing with an immoral and an evil enemy – a genocidal enemy (that) massacred, mass raped our citizens – and an immoral, morally confused West that's making us feed our enemy, even though it's known that Hamas itself takes the aid and sells it at exorbitant prices to its own people."