‘A Blood Libel in 2025’: Calls Mount for Israel To Sue New York Times Over Gaza Photo Controversy

Pro-Israel advocates are urging the Israeli government to pursue legal action against the New York Times for publishing on its front page an image of an emaciated Gazan child who the newspaper later acknowledged has “pre-existing health problems” that predate the war. “The @nytimes has caused enormous harm and this is apparently the best they can do to correct their malfeasance,” billionaire businessman Bill Ackman wrote on X this week, referring to the correction the Times added to its original article. Mr. Ackman continued by advising Israel to “bring libel suits against the @nytimes and other publications,” which he described as “open and shut cases.”Within Israel, political commentator Yaakov Bardugo, stated on Wednesday that “The State of Israel must sue the New York Times for $10 billion over that fake starvation image that reached tens of millions of viewers.” He argued that Israel should also hold accountable any journalist or editor who was involved in publishing the image. “This is how you engineer public perception,” he added. The controversy centers on a Times article published over the weekend with the headline, “Young, Old and Sick Starve to Death in Gaza: ‘There Is Nothing.'” The piece included a striking image of a visibly malnourished boy draped over the arms of his mother. She told the Times that her 18-month old son “was born healthy but was recently diagnosed with severe malnutrition.” The image and several other photographs taken of the boy were picked up by international outlets including Sky News, the Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Times of London, and others. International condemnation of Israel soon followed. Facing mounting pressure, Israel agreed to implement a one-sided ceasefire during the daytime to allow for additional aid deliveries. President Trump appeared to reference the coverage on Monday, stating from Scotland, “That’s real starvation. I see it, and you can’t fake that.”However, inconsistencies in the set of photographs were detected by pro-Israel advocacy groups. One photo, which was omitted from the Times piece, showed the boy’s older brother who appeared to be perfectly healthy and well-fed. Eventually, an independent journalist, David Collier, uncovered a medical report that showed the boy, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, was born with serious genetic disorders. Namely, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a group of neurological disorders that permanently affect muscle control, movement, and posture. By Tuesday — four days after the story was published — the Times added a correction to the article and announced the change on its public relations account on X. The account, which boasts some 89,000 followers, is far less popular than the Times’ main account, which has 55 million. “We have appended an Editors’ Note to a story about Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a child in Gaza who was diagnosed with severe malnutrition,” the Times Communications account shared on X. “After publication, The Times learned that he also had pre-existing health problems.” The post also contained a longer statement from a New York Times spokeswoman who reiterated that “Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented.” She noted that the story had been updated with context about the boy’s pre-existing health problems which “gives readers a greater understanding of his situation.” The correction, and its accompanying statement, struck some as too little too late. Former prime minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, chided the statement as “simply unbelievable” and accused the Times of spreading “a blood libel in 2025.” “After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has preexisting conditions,” Mr. Bennett wrote on Tuesday. “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.” He added: “Have you no shame?” An official X account for the state of Israel responded by accusing “major media outlets” of becoming “the propaganda arm of Hamas.” Directly referencing the piece in the Times, the account added: “This isn’t journalism. It’s reckless incitement that spreads lies.” Any defamation lawsuit would face significant legal hurdles. Per the law, the Israeli government would need to prove the Times published false statements with “actual malice” — meaning that they knew the information was false but chose to share it anyway — and demonstrate that they sustained reputational damage.While the correction sparked intense criticism from pro-Israel voices, the Times also faced backlash from anti-Israel advocates who accused the newspaper of capitulating to Israeli pressure. Following the correction, anti-Israel protesters vandalized the Times building in Manhattan with red paint and slogans reading “NYT LIES – GAZA DIES.”The New York Times has not yet responded to the Sun’s request for comment regarding potential legal action.

‘A Blood Libel in 2025’: Calls Mount for Israel To Sue New York Times Over Gaza Photo Controversy

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