Desk Report,
The viral photo sparks outrage and controversy around the world, what is the truth behind it?
A photo of an 18-month-old Palestinian child in Gaza. The child’s skeletal body clearly shows bones, ribs and a spine. The image spread quickly and widely on the internet last week.
The viral photo sparks outrage and controversy around the world, what is the truth behind it?
The image was published in various international media outlets, including the BBC, CNN and the New York Times, and sparked outrage worldwide.
However, the image has also sparked controversy. Israel and its supporters claim that the child had pre-existing “health complications”.
Based on this claim, Israel and its supporters are trying to call the news of children starving in Gaza “fake propaganda”. Middle East Eye visited the child in a makeshift tent in the western Gaza City area. There, his mother Hidaya told the story of how her son, Mohammed al-Mutawak, got to where he is today.
“I was seven months pregnant when the war in Gaza started,” Hidaya said, standing in the ruins of a former wedding hall. The hall is now being used as their home (a makeshift tent).
“Mohammed (al-Mutawak) was born in December 2023, during the most intense phase of the war and the second month of the first Israeli operation to starve (the Palestinians) to death.”
Middle East Eye visited the child in a makeshift tent in the western Gaza City area. There, his mother Hidaya told the story of how her son Mohammed al-Mutawak came to be where he is today.
“He suffered from a slight lack of oxygen at birth, which caused slight muscle weakness,” Hidaya added.
Despite those initial problems, al-Mutawak was receiving treatment and his health was improving.
“Even the doctors were amazed by his progress,” says Hidaya.
But when Al-Mutawak was just two months old, Hidaya herself began to suffer from malnutrition. As a result, he could no longer breastfeed, and that was when the struggle for milk and baby formula began. “During the first hunger strike and the months before that, we were able to go to the hospital and collect some milk,” says Hidaya.
“His father was alive at the time. He would bring us milk; until he was killed in an Israeli strike.”
Until then, the child’s health had been gradually improving. He was reaching several milestones for his age. “He started saying ‘amma’ and ‘abba’,” says Hidaya. By early 2025, Al-Mutawak had learned to crawl and stand. But then they were uprooted from Jabalia (a refugee camp in Gaza).
Since then, Al-Mutawak’s health has deteriorated dramatically. His weight has dropped from 9kg to 6kg. The progress he had made in muscle strength and mobility has been reversed.
‘When I noticed these changes in his body and face, I took him to several hospitals. But the doctors said, “Now food is his only treatment. He needs proper nutrition,”’ said Hidaya.
‘A child like this needs milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables and fruits. But he has never had fruit in his mouth since birth. He was born in a reality of starvation and deprivation.’
‘Severe acute malnutrition’
The doctors said that the child is now suffering from ‘Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)’ or extreme acute malnutrition. This is the most severe form of malnutrition. They warned that if urgent and continuous balanced food and treatment is not ensured for him, his life will be at great risk.
Hidaya said she had already noticed terrible changes in the child’s body.
Al-Mutawak had learned to crawl and stand in early 2025. But then they were evicted from Jabalia again. Since then, the child’s health has deteriorated significantly.
Al-Mutawak was taken to the hospital in early July. There, it was discovered that he was suffering from severe dehydration.
“At one point, I thought he was dead. I would put my head on his chest and listen to see if I could hear any sounds. He was not moving at all. He had severe diarrhea,” said Hidaya.
“I believe that the unhealthy foods we were eating were the reason for this. We were taking them as a substitute for nutritious food.”
After being taken to the hospital, doctors diagnosed the child’s dehydration and gave him some medicine, which brought some improvement. However, doctors made it clear that his health would not improve without proper nutrition. However, even in that weak condition, Al-Mutawak was released from the hospital; to make room for more children.
Like Al-Mutawak, hundreds of children are sick and starving in hospitals in Gaza. They all suffer from the same disease – severe malnutrition.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an average of 112 children in Gaza were severely malnourished every day from the beginning of 2025 to May. The UN agency said that 6,500 children were severely malnourished in June last year. In the first two weeks of July alone, another 5,000 children were affected.
UNICEF also said that the entire population of the Gaza Strip is now suffering from food insecurity. All children under the age of five, who number more than 320,000, are at risk of sudden severe malnutrition.
‘Al-Mutawak learned to walk, but now he can’t even sit. “He can’t hold his head up, he can’t move his legs. Now he can’t even move his hands,” Hidaya told Middle East Eye.
