The New York Times issued a clarification overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday on the X social media platform regarding a photo of a one-and-a-half-year-old infant featured in an article titled “Gazans Are Dying of Starvation.”
The correction, posted on an auxiliary NYT X account and not on its main X platform, noted, more than two days after an investigation into the image, that the child, Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, suffered from pre-existing health issues, not extreme starvation as implied, but rather rare genetic conditions.
The photo of Mohammed, held by his mother and wearing a diaper made from a black garbage bag, became a symbol of Gaza’s hunger crisis. Taken by Gazan journalist Ahmad al-Arini, it appeared in major outlets like CNN, Sky News, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times and BBC, as well as the pro-Israel Daily Express.
Al-Arini reported Mohammed’s weight dropped from 9 kilograms (20 pounds) to 6 kilograms (13 pounds), half the norm for a healthy child his age, attributing the makeshift diaper to a lack of humanitarian aid. He claimed Mohammed received no breast milk, formula or vitamins when the photo was taken on July 21.
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However, independent journalist David Collier’s investigation revealed Mohammed suffers from rare genetic disorders, including cerebral palsy and low blood oxygen. Based on a medical report from the Basma Relief and Development Association in the Gaza Strip, signed by Dr. Saeed Mohammed al-Nassan, Mohammed has required special nutritional supplements since his birth in December 2023, two months after the war began. His complex condition affects his muscles, movement and posture.
The New York Times added an editor’s note to the article, saying that it was updated with information about Mohammed’s pre-existing health issues, as confirmed by his doctor. The article specified that Mohammed’s prior health problems impacted his brain and muscle development but his condition worsened rapidly in recent months as food and medical care became scarce.
His mother, Huda, said clinics diagnosed him with severe malnutrition but could offer little beyond advising “food and water” as treatment.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett reacted to the correction overnight on X, writing in English, “This is simply unbelievable. After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has preexisting conditions.
"NYT, you knew that Hamas uses babies with preexisting illnesses. We’ve been saying this for months now. You knew exactly what this picture would cause. This is a blood libel in 2025. Have you no shame?"
Collier, who investigated Mohammed’s case, noted the photo avoided showing his three-year-old brother, Jude, who appears healthy in other images by al-Arini not widely published. He also argued that Huda did not appear to suffer from extreme hunger, suggesting no significant food shortage caused Mohammed’s condition.
Collier criticized the BBC for a 64-second interview with Huda that omitted Mohammed’s genetic disorders. “Even in the BBC video, the mother alludes to this – referencing a prolonged struggle, including physiotherapy sessions that had helped him stand,” he wrote.
"The curvature of the spine another key clue tying the child to a CP diagnosis. But the BBC narrator never addresses this – leaving the audience to believe the heartbreaking physical condition we are seeing is the result of widespread famine."