Report: Mainstream media deliberately uses images of Palestinian children with genetic diseases to push Gaza famine stories

A new report by independent investigative journalist David Collier alleges that mainstream media willingly used the image of a child with cerebral palsy as the lead image for stories about a supposed deliberate famine in Gaza. 

According to the mainstream media outlets, such as the BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, CNN, The New York Times, and Daily Mail, the condition of Mohammed, the boy in the striking images, was due to the desperate conditions in Gaza. His pictures were used to depict the severity of the famine situation in Gaza, however, Collier says those stories did not mention Mohammed’s preexisting condition of cerebral palsy, which often leads to severe malnutrition, as children with the condition have difficulty eating. 

None of the major news sources mentioned Mohammed’s cerebral palsy, with most indicating within the body of the article, or in the photo description, that Mohammed’s condition was due to “severe malnutrition.” 

CNN did address the issue of Mohammed’s genetic illness in a video aired separately from the photo story about the Gaza food shortage. In that video, CNN notes, “Mohammed suffers from a muscle disorder.” However, the photo used in the story about a famine in Gaza states in the description that Mohammed “faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and the blockade.” 

Collier posted additional photos from the same photoshoot where Mohammed was documented by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini of Anadolu, in which Mohammed’s mother and brother are both seen to be healthy, with no evidence of starvation. Collier cited a medical report, dated May 2025 by the Basma Association for Relief in Gaza, which lists a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and hypoxemia (low oxygen in the blood), “possibly linked to a suspected genetic disorder inherited in an ‘autosomal recessive pattern.’” 

The stories highlighted by Collier are not the only occurrence of the phenomenon. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) published a picture of a child with cystic fibrosis, printed in the Italian il Fatto Quotidiano, which was used to illustrate how the Israeli “blockade” of Gaza is causing starvation. 

“A photo of 5-year-old Osama al-Rakab has gone viral, used to falsely depict Israel as responsible for his condition, claiming Israel is starving children,” COGAT posted to 𝕏. “Osama suffers from a serious genetic illness unrelated to the war. On June 12, we actively coordinated Osama's exit from Gaza with his mother and brother through the Ramon airport. He is now receiving treatment in Italy.” 

The Foreign Ministry accused the news agency of spreading “a modern blood libel.” 

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/Sh8UBK3HVh

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) July 28, 2025

Collier has published similar reports before. In 2024, he documented that the BBC knowingly published an article claiming that a child, Younis Jumaa, who has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy, was suffering from malnutrition as a result of Israeli policies. 

Several similar cases occurred in 2024, often involving mainstream British news agencies, such as the Telegraph and the BBC. 

When @Telegraph published this photo, it failed to mention that Yazan al-Kafarneh had cerebral palsy--a disease that can cause malnutrition--& had difficulty eating even before the war.

This is *not* a representative image of Gaza's children or evidence of starvation. pic.twitter.com/aLBw0JZkJT

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 5, 2024

Such cases often involved children born with genetic conditions, like cystic fibrosis, which lead to malnutrition and other complications. 

🚨‼️ A new HOAX is going around.

Pro-Palestine accounts share photos of this child and claim that this child is about to die because Israel is systematically starving children to death.

This child is Fadi Al-Zant and is suffering from malnutrition due to cystic fibrosis. Cystic… pic.twitter.com/SV0jH2wXro

— Ridvan Aydemir | Apostate Prophet 🎗 (@ApostateProphet) March 14, 2024

Israel has faced consistent charges of forced starvation, despite several studies demonstrating that it has allowed an unprecedented level of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza since the start of the war. While acknowledging food scarcity exists in some parts of Gaza, Israeli officials continue to insist that most of the scarcity is due to the seizure and hoarding of food by Hamas. However, due to international pressure, Israel recently changed its humanitarian aid strategy to bring more aid in, while reimplementing operational pauses in certain parts of Gaza to allow for aid to be distributed safely.