BBC CAUGHT PUBLISHING FAKE NEWS ABOUT GAZA

It’s an image that’s been seen around the world. On front pages, in headlines, and across major news networks. It was claimed to be proof that Israel was deliberately starving the people of Gaza. But this wasn't true. The TRUTH was a different story entirely.

Taken on July 22 by a photographer from Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, the photo shows a skeletal child, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, cradled in his mother’s arms. At first glance, it looks like a gut-wrenching snapshot of starvation in Gaza. And that’s exactly how the international media treated it.

The photo was immediately framed as visual proof of a humanitarian catastrophe. More than that, as proof that Israel is deliberately starving the people of Gaza.

The Daily Express called it:

“A horrifying image encapsulating the ‘maelstrom of human misery’ gripping Gaza.”

It went on to report:

Muhammad, one, …weighs the same as a three-month-old baby, as famine slowly snuffs out life… Hunger and suffering has now reached a level never seen before with at least 12 children dying from malnutrition in the past 48 hours alone.”

Similar versions of this claim appeared in NBC News, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Daily Mail, and even BBC News, which went so far as to interview the photographer, Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim al-Arini, who suggested the image showed the starvation now afflicting the Strip.

But something wasn’t adding up. The image was too well lit, too well framed to be photo journalism in a war-zone. The mother wasn't emaciated, nor were any of the other children in the camp. We could smell a rat.

Independent Journalists quickly highlight inconsistencies in the image set. In one of the photos, another child, reportedly Muhammad’s older brother, can be seen standing in the background. He appears well-nourished and perfectly healthy. That alone raised serious questions.

Still, the mainstream media continued to push the image as symbolic of a famine allegedly caused by Israel.

Then came the facts, and they confirmed what we suspected.  It was FAKE NEWS.  

In a CNN report published on Saturday, the boy’s mother explained that Muhammad suffers from a serious life threatening muscle disorder. It’s a medical condition that requires ongoing physical therapy and specialised nutrition.

When he had access to these, she said, he was “happy” and “could sit upright.”

In other words, Muhammad is not a victim of Israeli starvation protocols. His appearance is from a serious life-limiting health disorder, nothing whatsoever to do with Israel.

The mainstream media are generating propaganda for Hamas and the public are falling for it.

Time and again, they have run with unverified images and unchecked claims. No due diligence. No questions asked. Because these stories fit the narrative they want to tell – that Israel is waging a war against a helpless civilian population. The evil Jews are up to their own tricks of killing babies. This latest image is just one such lie that has been going on for a thousand years.

Every outlet that promoted this false narrative should be issuing a correction, and an apology. Admit he truth, that this was fake news. He is not simply a victim of starvation, and the image has been presented in a misleading and deliberately deceptive way. But of course, they won't.

A New York Times spokeswoman issued this statement on Tuesday night:

“Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented. We recently ran a story about Gaza’s most vulnerable civilians, including Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition. We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems. This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation. Our reporters and photographers continue to report from Gaza, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war.”

Here is how the scam works, use the fake image up front, emblazon it all over your website, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube sites. Then when it's discovered to be a fake, write a tiny retraction and bury it somewhere that nobody will see it. The image has done its job, the public will forever think it's real, true, and accurate. The fact that it is not will go unknown by 99% of the general public.

Note that our old friend Marianna Spring and BBC 'Verify' have suddenly become deaf, dumb and blind when it comes to verifying this story. Vision News will be contacting the BBC to ask why the fake story wasn't checked before being published, and could it be that the BBC, blinded by their utter hatred for Jews, published the story because of conformation bias?

Follow us to see how the BBC responds to our request. Sign-up to our newsletter using the link below.

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