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Source: https://david-collier.com/the-truth-behind-the-viral-gaza-famine-photo/
The Truth Behind the Viral Gazan Famine Photo
(David Collier) On July 23, 2025, Britain's Daily Express ran the image of Muhammad on its front page as a child victim of the Gazan "famine." Within hours, Sky News, CNN, The Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Times, and The Times (UK) ran the image. Yet the uncropped photo also shows both Muhammad's mother and his older brother looking healthy and not suffering from starvation. Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq was born with serious genetic disorders. He has needed specialist medical supplements since birth. Like previous examples of the media using "starving children," the image is of a child suffering underlying and hidden health issues. A medical report issued in May 2025 by the Basma Association for Relief in Gaza states that Muhammad has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and hypoxemia (low oxygen in the blood), possibly linked to a suspected genetic disorder. This revelation raises serious issues of media integrity. The Daily Express picked up a viral image circulating online and published it without verification or context - a textbook example of clickbait journalism, where emotional impact is prioritized over everything else. The BBC went a step further and produced an interview with the child's mother, that somehow failed to disclose that Muhammad was a child born with genetic problems. This is not journalism. This is the UK's state media deliberately pushing a deceptive narrative that only serves to benefit Hamas.