Israel proves ’emaciated’ Gazan child on front cover story has a genetic illness

On Sunday evening, COGAT released hospital records from Gaza’s European Hospital showing that the boy had been diagnosed as an infant with Fanconi syndrome.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli officials have pushed back against a front-page story in the UK’s Daily Mirror that presented a Gazan child as a victim of starvation, providing proof from a Gaza hospital that the boy has a genetic disease likely responsible for his emaciated appearance.

The British newspaper featured three-year-old Karim Ali Fouad Abu Mu’amar beneath a banner headline declaring: “Stop Starving Gaza’s Kids.”

The article tied his condition to the recent announcement by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which stated last week that famine exists in Gaza.

On Sunday evening, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) released hospital records from Gaza’s European Hospital showing that the boy had been diagnosed as an infant with Fanconi syndrome, a genetic disorder that damages the kidneys and affects the body’s ability to process nutrients.

According to COGAT, the illness runs in the child’s family, and his appearance has no connection to hunger.

“The terrorist organization Hamas continues to spread false narratives as part of a deceptive propaganda campaign,” COGAT said, arguing that international outlets serve these messages “without any examination or verification.”

The case follows a similar incident earlier this summer when another Gazan child with a genetic disorder, five-year-old Osama al-Rakab, was portrayed in viral images as evidence of starvation.

He was later evacuated with his mother and brother through Israel’s Ramon Airport on June 12 and is now receiving medical care in Italy.

COGAT said at the time: “Tragic images rightfully stir strong emotions, but when they’re misused to fuel hatred and lies, they do more harm than good.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein also criticized the Daily Mirror, accusing the paper of “spreading Hamas propaganda.”

Writing on X, he pointed to fact-checking notes appended by users, which stated that Karim suffers from Fanconi syndrome—a fact left out of the Mirror’s coverage.

COGAT urged media outlets to be responsible, warning: “Don’t let compassion be exploited for propaganda. Check the facts before parroting blame.”