The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused the UK’s Daily Mirror of “spreading Hamas propaganda” after the publication featured a Saturday front-page photo under the headline “Stop Starving Gaza’s Kids” showing a Palestinian child who suffers from a rare genetic disorder rather than starvation.
The Daily Mirror’s cover on Saturday displayed a photograph of Kareem Muammar, a three-year-old Gaza boy suffering from Fanconi-Bickel syndrome, a rare genetic condition affecting the liver, kidneys, and intestines that disrupts nutrient absorption. The publication presented the image as evidence of Israeli-induced starvation without disclosing the child’s pre-existing medical condition.
Social media users identified the missing context, prompting X to add a Community Note stating the outlet had “concealed important context from their readers about a child from Gaza.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein responded on Sunday, posting: “The @DailyMirror manipulation on Gaza is being backlashed by X users: a Community Note saying they concealed important context from their readers about a child from Gaza.”
“@DailyMirror stop spreading Hamas propaganda!” Marmorstein added.
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday afternoon revealed documents showing additional details about the child’s condition. COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) stated the boy’s full name as Karim Ali Fouad Abu Mu’amar and confirmed he “suffers from a genetic illness – Fanconi syndrome – which led to muscle and urinary tract weakness” and noted it is “a hereditary disease that affected other family members as well.” COGAT further criticized the broader media pattern, stating: “Hamas continues to spread false narratives as part of a deceptive propaganda campaign, while media outlets around the world continue to serve as their platform without any verification.”
The incident follows a documented pattern of major western outlets featuring misleading images of Palestinian children. The New York Times was forced to issue corrections after featuring a front-page photo of an emaciated Palestinian child who suffered from a muscular disorder rather than starvation.
A Free Press investigation reported that at least twelve Palestinian children presented as “starving” in viral photos actually had significant pre-existing health problems including cystic fibrosis, rickets, and other serious ailments. These images appeared across outlets including CNN, NPR, and the Times without proper medical context.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned he might sue the New York Times for defamation over that front-page photo, calling such narratives “malignant lies that were leveled at the Jewish people in the Middle Ages.”
Hamas has systematically used such imagery for propaganda while blocking food distribution to Palestinian civilians and publishing videos of actually starving Israeli hostages. Meanwhile, Hamas terrorists have been caught feasting underground on lavish meals while exploiting Gaza civilians’ suffering above. Israeli officials have challenged western media to give equal prominence to photographs of emaciated Israeli hostages experiencing genuine starvation in Hamas captivity, but those requests have been largely ignored.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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