Wednesday, the New York Times ran a heartbreaking photo on Page 1 of the nation’s most widely read newspaper. The photo was of Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a tiny 18-month-old Palestinian child in Gaza City so emaciated that his spine protrudes from his back. The NYT claimed this as evidence of the widespread starvation Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza.

But the photo and the article are a carefully crafted LIE.

It turns out the child hasn’t been “starved”; he has cerebral palsy.

The photo was taken on July 22, 2025, by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim al-Arini, a reporter for Turkey’s state-owned (and blatantly anti-Israel) official news agency, and circulated on social media before winding up in the NYT.

Even President Trump was duped. When asked by reporters about the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza, Trump responded that based on what he has seen in the media, “those children look very hungry.” Trump later added, "Some of those kids are — that's real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can't fake that.”

Except you CAN fake that ... and that’s exactly what happened with the photo of little Mohammed Zakaria.

The complete UNEDITED photo shows a very different scene than the one the NYT and other outlets tried to portray. In the unedited photo, the emaciated little boy’s very well fed and perfectly healthy older brother is looking on. The emaciated child’s mother also looks very well nourished with none of the hollowed eyes or skin-and-bones look that are visible signs of malnourishment.

The child does, in fact, look terribly emaciated. But that’s because — according to the mother herself — he has cerebral palsy, a birth defect that causes extreme muscle wasting, and other serious health issues — and the New York Times KNEW IT. Not only did the NYT cut the healthy older brother out of the picture, but it also failed to mention the mother’s explanation for her younger child’s ill health. In fact, the mother told reporters her son was finally strong enough to sit on his own despite his birth defects.

When the newspaper’s false reporting was exposed, the editor ran a half-hearted correction, simply stating that the boy pictured “also suffers from pre-existing health conditions” but never mentioning what his health condition is. Instead, the editor chose to continue perpetuating the “starvation” and “malnutrition” lies.

This isn’t the first time the New York Times has published deceptively edited photos or lied about context to slander Israel.

On September 30, 2000, the New York Times published a picture of a beaten and bloodied young man cowering beneath a club-wielding Israeli police officer. The caption indicated that the young man was a Palestinian victim of recent riots and implied the Israeli police officer had been the perpetrator of the beating. But it wasn’t true.

The young man in question, Tuvia Grossman, is a JEW who was visiting Israel from Chicago and was brutally attacked by Palestinians because he is Jewish.

Tuvia and two friends had been yanked out of their taxicab by a Palestinian mob who beat and stabbed the men. The Israeli policeman was wielding his club to ward off the Palestinian thugs and save the Jewish men from being beaten to death.

Then, as now, the NYT tried to obfuscate their deception. Only after Tuvia’s father published a letter challenging the NYT’s false depiction of his son, did the NYT issue a correction — kind of. The Times changed its caption to indicate that Tuvia was “an American student in Israel.” The Times “correction” never mentioned that Tuvia was beaten by a Palestinian mob who intended to kill him for being Jewish — because the TRUTH would have destroyed the false narrative the NYT was trying to create.

It’s odd to me that the leading newspaper in the largest Jewish settlement in the world outside of Israel would continue to slander the Jewish people and Israel. Sadly, this time, even an American president fell for the ruse.

Thankfully, you have Christians in Defense of Israel to set the record straight. We are working every day in Washington, D.C., and around the world to ensure the truth is well known. But we can only do this important work with your direct financial support.

This month we are giving away two of our best books for any new recurring monthly donations of 10 dollars or more. Sign up now to get your copies of Why Islamists Hate Israel and Big Lies: Answers to the TOP 10 slanders, smears and libels against ISRAEL!

Finally, please continue praying for Israel.

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

P.S. Your gift now will help us fight the attacks on Israel. Please, give generously today!

P.P.S. Have you dreamt of being baptized in the River Jordan? Now is your chance! Join us this fall on a tour of Israel. We have a limited number of seats left on this tour. Walk where Christ walked and experience the Holy Land like never before! Learn more at CJTravel.org.

SOURCES:

“Corrections: July 30, 2025,” The New York Times, July 30, 2025. NYTimes.com/2025/07/30/pageoneplus/editors-note-july-30-2025.html.

Leff, Alex. “Trump Sees ‘Real Starvation’ in Gaza, Despite Israeli Claims, and Vows to Step Up Aid.” NPR, July 28, 2025. NPR.org/2025/07/28/nx-s1-5482900/gaza-starvation-trump-starmer-israel.

Nava, Victor. “New York Times Stunningly Rolls Back Claims about Viral Photo of Starving Gaza Boy.” New York Post, July 29, 2025. NYPost.com/2025/07/29/media/new-york-times-stunningly-rolls-back-claims-about-viral-photo-of-starving-gaza-boy/.

‌Nesi, Chris. “Viral Images of Starving Gaza Boy Don’t Tell the Whole Story Because He Suffers from Genetic Disorders, Critics Say.” New York Post, July 27, 2025. NYPost.com/2025/07/27/world-news/viral-images-of-starving-gaza-boy-dont-tell-the-whole-story-because-he-suffers-from-genetic-disorders-critics-say/.

‌“The Photo That Started It All.” HonestReporting. Accessed August 1, 2025. Honestreporting.com/the-photo-that-started-it-all/.