Since Saturday morning, Israel has found itself embroiled in a conflict with the Palestinian militant organization, Hamas. The hostilities commenced early that morning when Hamas militants crossed into Israeli territory, resulting in tragic losses among innocent civilians, including children, women, and elderly individuals. Simultaneously, a barrage of approximately 500 rockets was launched into Israel’s sovereign territory. Hamas committed this brutal and reprehensible act, which included distressing reports of subjecting girls to humiliation and making children victims of violence. It has received widespread international condemnation. Meanwhile, some Islamists, both in India and around the globe, have begun engaging in rhetoric that seeks to deflect attention from these acts of terrorism through whataboutery, attempting to rationalize these cowardly attacks on civilian populations.
In an attempt to rationalize the reprehensible assault carried out by Islamist extremists, some radical Muslims have resorted to disseminating images of Palestinian children.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan tweeted a photo with the caption, “Were these innocent children terrorists?”
Additionally, Islamic propagandist Sadaf Afreen tweeted, “The innocent children seen in the photo were killed by the Israeli Army! Was this not a crime against humanity??
Fact Check
After conducting a Google reverse image search, we have discovered that the image in question originally came from The New York Times. The New York Times featured this image in a report from 2021, illustrating the aftermath of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Nonetheless, it’s important to highlight that the origins of the picture used by The New York Times remain uncertain, casting doubts on its authenticity and reliability as a journalistic source.
Be that as it may, in 2021, an American journalist uncovered a purported misinformation operation within The New York Times, alleging the publication’s involvement in crafting fictitious narratives. Hussein Aboubakar Mansour took to Twitter to raise concerns regarding the authenticity of the image featuring the girl situated on the left side of the third row.
However, Mansour’s investigative efforts extended as far back as 2015, but regrettably, he encountered difficulty in ascertaining the true source of the photograph. After conducting an exhaustive research process, he ultimately arrived at the conclusion that the image featuring the young girl was a randomly selected portrayal of a Muslim toddler.
Furthermore, the Israeli government has provided clarification, confirming that the child depicted in the second column and third row from the left is indeed an Israeli-Jewish child named Ido Avigail. Tragically, he lost his life at the hands of Hamas on May 12, 2021.
In addition to Mansour, and the Israeli government a multitude of media outlets and influential policy analysts have expressed vehement criticism towards The New York Times’ report, primarily stemming from the absence of substantiated sources supporting their assertions. The Washington Institute, in particular, voiced strong disapproval, highlighting the deficiency in fundamental investigative rigor within NYT’s reporting. Questions were raised concerning whether the children featured in the images were indeed being employed as human shields by Hamas and if their parents had affiliations with the Hamas movement. Furthermore, publications like The Spectator have also issued scathing critiques of The New York Times’ journalistic approach and accuracy in reporting.
Consequently, the utilization of this image by AIMIM leader Waris Pathan and propagandist Sadaf Afreen can be categorized as misleading, as it bears no relevance to the contemporary Israel-Palestine conflict. Furthermore, the compilation of images employed by The New York Times raises significant skepticism regarding the credibility of journalistic practices, a concern which has always been questionable.
| Claim | An Islamist leader and propagandist shared a picture, asserting that the Israeli army had killed Palestinian children in a recent conflict. |
| Claimed by | Waris Pathan and Sadaf Afreen |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Also Read: The Telegraph and The Wire’s Misleading Claims on ‘Discrimination of Minorities’
