Harrowing viral pic of starving Gaza boy ‘was HIJACKED' by Hamas to create ‘fake news', campaigners say
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A PHOTO seemingly showing a starving boy in Gaza was "hijacked" by Hamas to create "fake news", it was claimed last night.
The picture of Muhammad al-Matouq in his mum's arms went viral last week - amid claims Israel was blocking aid deliveries to the Strip.
6
Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 1.5-year-old child in Gaza City, Gaza
Credit: Getty
6
Campaigners say he was already suffering genetic disorders
Credit: Getty
6
He was said to have dropped from 9 to 6 kilograms
Credit: Getty
But campaigners say he was already suffering genetic disorders and his mum and brother looked healthy in the picture.
Pro-Israel investigative journalist David Collier said: "This is not the face of famine. It is the face of a medically vulnerable child whose tragic situation was hijacked and weaponised."
He accused news outlets who used the image of benefiting Hamas and creating "fake news".
On Monday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 14 people had died in the past 24 hours of starvation and malnutrition, bringing the war's death toll from hunger to 147, including 89 children.
Israel announced a 'tactical pause' in fighting in three areas of Gaza yesterday amid worsening of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli Defence Force said it would halt operations in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City from 10am to 8pm.
It said it will set up corridors to help aid agencies deliver food and supplies.
Within hours, Jordanian and Emirati planes had air-dropped 25 tonnes of aid.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said 60 trucks of aid had been dispatched - but this amount fell short of Gaza's needs.
WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Samer AbdelJaber said: "Sixty is definitely not enough. So our target at the moment, every day is to get 100 trucks into Gaza."
Israel announces 'tactical pause' in fighting in parts of Gaza as IDF sets up 'designated humanitarian corridors'
The Programme explained how almost 470,000 people in Gaza are enduring famine-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of specialist nutrition treatments.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said only a ceasefire would alleviate the needs of those 'desperately suffering'.
And Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, said the latest aid drops would not solve food shortages in Gaza.
Last week, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the Palestinian enclave.
The military also said Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazan people.
Israel's foreign ministry said the military would "apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centres and in humanitarian corridors" on Sunday morning.
The announcement came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight.
The UN said that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance".
The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, "combat operations have not ceased" in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has previously blamed Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's population.
Israel is keeping up its heavy bombardment in the face of global ceasefire pleas and huge protests in Tel Aviv.
6
Palestinians, who lost their relatives in Israeli attacks, mourn as the deceased are being brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza's Khan Yunis
Credit: Getty
6
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City
Credit: Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
3 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump sends envoy to Gaza to assess ‘dire humanitarian situation'
Donald Trump is sending his Middle East envoy into Gaza to observe the 'dire situation on the ground'. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, met Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Thursday. On Friday, they will be given rare access to Gaza, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced. 'Tomorrow, special envoy Witkoff and ambassador Huckabee will be travelling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear first-hand about this dire situation on the ground,' Ms Leavitt told a briefing on Thursday. The men will brief the president immediately after the visit 'to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region,' she said. Photographs of emaciated children in the war-torn territory are beginning to turn the tide of public opinion against Israel's military campaign against Hamas. Aid agencies are warning that hunger and malnutrition may already have reached a tipping point after two and half years of war, raising fears of mass starvation. Mr Trump said he had seen the pictures coming out of Gaza. 'Everybody, unless they are pretty cold hearted or worse than that nuts... there's nothing you can say other than it's terrible when you see the kids,' he said aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. Sections of Mr Trump's Maga base are growing increasingly hawkish on Israel with Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fierce Trump loyalist, this week accusing Israel of 'genocide'. The Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas, has recorded 156 deaths from starvation, including at least 90 children, mostly during recent weeks. The United Nations says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to reach aid stations since late May, when the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over responsibility for delivering aid. The deepening crisis has prompted a string of Washington's allies to signal they will recognise the state of Palestine. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced this week he would take that step in September if Israel did not declare a ceasefire in Gaza, help to ease the humanitarian emergency, and commit to a long-term peace process with the 'two-state solution' as its goal. A day later, Canada said it planned to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, further loading pressure on Israel. Mr Trump and his administration has warned that it risks rewarding Hamas, which sparked the conflict with its October 7 attack on Israel in 2023. Since then, the Israeli offensive has flattened the enclave and killed more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials. On Thursday, Washington announced visa bans on officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). 'It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,' the State Department said. It accused the ground of supporting terrorism 'including incitement and glorification of violence,' and of 'providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families'. Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, welcomed the US sanctions. They displayed 'moral clarity,' he said.
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Chris Woakes suffers concerning injury in blow to England's hopes in fifth Test against India
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
States of Alderney backs Guernsey Gaza statement
The States of Alderney has said it endorses a compassionate message from the government of Guernsey in highlighting the humanitarian situation in the letter, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said members were "profoundly concerned by the deaths and suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza".Alderney's States said it endorsed "the compassionate message from the government of Guernsey in highlighting the humanitarian situation in Gaza alongside the numerous other humanitarian crises in the world, and the commitment to upholding the principles of international law".Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into Gaza, has blamed Hamas for any cases of malnutrition. The Guernsey letter was signed by 17 deputies pressuring de Sausmarez to write to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. De Sausmarez said: "Members are deeply moved by the plight of people of all ages who are caught up in any conflict."The members hope that the global community soon finds and implements effective ways to protect civilians, alleviate human suffering and secure lasting peace."
