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Short answer
The sadder the image, the louder the outrage — and the quicker the world demands Israel stop defending itself. Hamas is constantly involved in manufacturing a facade of “mass famine” to end the war on its terms.
And world media, hypersensitive to images of starving children, lap it up — even when actual footage from Gaza tells a very different story!
That’s why a boy with a genetic illness treated in Italy was paraded as “starving,” and a disabled baby with cerebral palsy was framed as “wasting away.” That’s why an elderly man showing clear signs of late-stage cancer cachexia was showcased as a “famine victim” — while his well-fed family stood beside him.
Actual reality fails to match the script, but hey… no problem — Hamas just produces their own. And the global media? They don’t just repeat the lie — they headline it.
Long answer
Real suffering doesn’t need lies. Yet in Gaza, despite the real hardships of war, it’s already proven to be overly manufactured — with staged scenes, recycled footage from other wars, and emotional theatrics — especially through images of children, the most effective tool in modern propaganda.
Here are a few examples — that story and images of a starving 5-year-old in Gaza… On June 12, 2025, Israel evacuated the boy, Osama al-Raqab, and his family to Italy for treatment of a serious genetic illness — not malnutrition. While his photo went viral as “proof” of famine, he was already in a hospital bed receiving care.
And what about Hamas’s “hunger campaign” poster boy, 18-month-old Muhammad al-Matouq? He was presented to the world as a “famine victim.” In reality, he’s had cerebral palsy and hypoxemia since birth, needing constant care. His real tragedy was weaponized — a calculated lie to pin crimes on Israel that never happened.
Palestinian social media paraded Salim Asfur as a “famine victim.” In reality, he’s an elderly man showing clear signs of late-stage cancer cachexia — a wasting syndrome unrelated to hunger — while his well-fed family stood beside him. His suffering was hijacked and sold as propaganda.
Now yes, Gazans face real hardship — war is brutal, and it sure does bring real suffering. But the exuberant claims of mass starvation simply don’t hold up. And one must ask: if reality is so bad, why do fake lies need to enter this equation?
Videos from inside Gaza — filmed by locals, NGOs, and journalists — show healthy adults, even overweight parents standing beside allegedly “starved” children. Markets are open, and food is available — though overpriced thanks to Hamas corruption, theft, and hoarding.
In truth, mass “starvation” is Hamas’s last card — a desperate play to end the war on its own terms. The more shocking the images, the louder the global outrage — and the more pressure mounts on Israel to stop. World media, obsessed with pictures of suffering children, play right into it.