Two Years of Genocide in Gaza: How Did Israel Continue Its Denial of the Starvation of Civilians

Since the beginning of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation has used every possible means, including official institutions, social media accounts, influencers, and officials' statements, to deny that it enforces a deliberate policy of starvation against Gaza's population. Israel has also attempted to discredit documented cases of starvation and the deaths of children resulting from its blockade.

Since October 7, 2023, Misbar's team has worked tirelessly to expose and counter Israeli disinformation and propaganda about Gaza's starvation crisis and blockade, as well as Israel's denial of accountability. Misbar's team has conducted extensive fact-checking to refute Israel's claims, backed by exclusive evidence and reliable sources.

Israel Spread Misleading Narrative on Gaza Food to Dodge Accountability

Misbar's investigative team tracked and debunked a series of claims meant to dodge Israel's responsibility for the severe food shortages, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the deliberate starvation policy imposed on Gaza’s population.

Misbar's investigations drew on multiple sources of evidence and documentation, including a Human Rights Watch report confirming that Israel’s starvation policy has led to the deaths of children in Gaza and constitutes a war crime.

In July 2024, Misbar's team released a detailed report presenting concrete evidence that Israel is carrying out a systematic starvation campaign against Gaza. The report also debunked several misleading claims about humanitarian aid by the Israeli Prime Minister during his address to the U.S. Congress.

In August 2024, Misbar's team exposed Israel’s ongoing efforts to propagate a false narrative portraying food supplies as sufficient and humanitarian aid as entering Gaza without restrictions. This narrative, sustained mainly through selective photos and videos depicting goods in markets or limited food items, alleges that life in Gaza is normal and that reports of hunger are exaggerated or fabricated.

By amplifying out-of-context and decontextualized visuals, the Israeli occupation constructs a narrative that serves its political agenda, downplays international criticism, and softens human rights scrutiny, particularly among Western audiences.

The widespread circulation of selected scenes to represent Gaza’s overall reality has become an instrument of deception. Israeli official accounts repeatedly use such content to claim that humanitarian conditions in Gaza are stable while intentionally concealing the widespread suffering and extreme deprivation faced by most residents, especially in the hardest-hit areas.

Misbar's investigative team tracked a major campaign by official Israeli accounts on X from August 21 to August 25, 2025. The propaganda began with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ English-language account and Israel’s Arabic-language account, then went viral through Israeli embassies in multiple countries.

The campaign focused on a single video made from selectively edited clips of various restaurants in the Gaza Strip, originally sourced from the restaurants’ social media pages. Israeli accounts modified the footage, translated it into several languages, and widely reposted it.

These accounts framed the video as proof of a “thriving food scene in Gaza,” highlighting open restaurants and diverse dishes to assert that “There is food in Gaza.”

Similarly, Misbar's team tracked another campaign promoting a different video on August 24 and August 25, shared by the same network of accounts, including the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s official X account, and multiple embassies, in multiple languages.

The video shows edited clips from Gaza’s markets, featuring fresh vegetables, canned food, and desserts. Israeli accounts captioned it, “From fresh produce to candy and canned goods, Gaza City’s markets offer it all. See the real footage for yourself - yes, there is food in Gaza.”

These videos are misleading because they ignore the broader context of skyrocketing food prices, disrupted supply chains, and the extreme difficulty most residents face in accessing food amid ongoing bombardment, widespread destruction, and daily killings.

Misbar’s team investigated the footage used in Israel’s campaign to portray Gaza as food-abundant and deny its starvation policy and found that the clips originated from the social media accounts of a few restaurants still operating on a very limited scale amid the Israeli war. The campaign selectively and misleadingly spread these clips, even though Palestinian restaurant workers themselves posted them.

These clips do not feature food abundance in Gaza, as the campaign deliberately ignored the broader context of the war and the substantial on-the-ground, media, and international evidence documenting famine and Israel’s systematic starvation policy during its genocide in the Strip.

Israeli accounts shared most of the clips out of context. At the time, Palestinian journalist Ismail al-Ghoul told Misbar that market prices in Gaza surged far beyond what most residents could afford compared to pre-war levels. He noted that the ongoing war worsened the economic strain on citizens and the local economy and provided Misbar with detailed data on pricing.

Israel Continues to Share Lies About Starvation Victims in Gaza

Misbar has actively exposed one of the most pervasive forms of Israeli disinformation. These claims question the existence of starvation victims, particularly children who have died because of Israel’s siege and deliberate starvation policy. These claims intensified in recent months, coinciding with a rise in starvation deaths following Israel’s blockade, which blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, and after the full siege left the population suffering from hunger.

Israel aims to downplay its use of starvation as a weapon against civilians. The occupation continues to enforce forced starvation and a strict blockade on Gaza’s residents. Israeli accounts have specifically promoted propaganda campaigns targeting children to minimize the severity of these violations.

Misbar's team tracked and debunked the most significant Israeli claims targeting famine victims throughout the war.

Israel Casts Doubt on Photos of Malnourished Girl in Gaza

In May, Israeli social media accounts sought to cast doubt on the condition of a malnourished child in Gaza, accusing Palestinians of spreading misinformation while ignoring evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation policy. Pro-Israel propagandists circulated two photos of the same child, claiming that the first photo shows a Moroccan child in 2019 and the second shows an Iraqi child in 2017.

Misbar's team traced the photos’ origin and discovered they were taken by Palestinian photographer Osama Kahlout, who posted them on his Instagram account.

He verified that the photos depict a child suffering severe malnutrition due to the ongoing Israeli siege and shared a video in which the child’s mother discusses her critical condition and urgent needs.

Misbar's team also noted that Israeli accounts’ reliance on Google Lens contributed to the confusion, as the tool often produces inaccurate results due to indexing issues. Clicking on the suggested sources on the tool may lead to entirely different photos.

Misbar's investigation further revealed that a Facebook page named “Marokkanisches Leben / الحياة المغربية” shared the same photo with a correct caption referencing Gaza, not Morocco.

In addition, the Spanish version of the media outlet Al-Manar, cited by some accounts to claim the photo was from Iraq, never published the child’s photo. Its original article featured a photo of former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in 2017.

Israel Casts Doubt on the Suffering of Osama al-Ruqab

On July 28, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, uploaded two photos of Palestinian child Osama al-Ruqab and accused Hamas of “using children as media shields.” He claimed the photos had been “misleadingly” circulated to blame Israel for Osama’s condition, arguing that the child suffers from a serious genetic illness unrelated to the war or food shortages.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other official Israeli accounts widely recirculated these claims, alleging that “the media deliberately ignores facts when it comes to Israel.”

Misbar’s team exclusively obtained a copy of the sweat test results conducted on Palestinian child Osama al-Ruqab at the University Hospital of Verona in Italy on June 17, days after his transfer from Gaza for medical treatment.

The test shows that the chloride level in Osama’s sweat measured just 13 mmol/L, parallel to the normal range for children, definitively ruling out cystic fibrosis, based on internationally accepted medical standards.

Misbar also obtained medical statements from the supervising physician, confirming that Osama had been healthy with a normal physical build before developing severe wasting due to acute protein deficiency caused by the siege and border closures.

Misbar's team also published photos of Osama taken before the deterioration of his condition, showing a normal weight and further confirming that his previous appearance did not align with the chronic physical symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Israeli Disinformation Campaign Targets Gaza Child Karim Muammer

In August, the British newspaper Daily Mirror featured three-year-old Karim Muammer on its front page under the headline “Stop Starving Gaza’s Kids,” sparking global criticism. The cover coincided with the United Nations’ official declaration of famine in Gaza, and Karim’s frail condition quickly became a symbol of the Strip’s starvation crisis.

Official and unofficial Israeli accounts launched a coordinated campaign to discredit the photo of Karim. They claimed that a rare genetic disorder solely caused Karim's condition.

Misbar’s investigation found that these Israeli claims relied on outdated medical documents and selectively edited excerpts from an Anadolu Agency report, deliberately ignoring the main causes of Karim's deterioration, which are the blockade, lack of medical treatment, and severe malnutrition.

Exclusive recent medical reports and testimony from Karim's father confirmed that while the child’s genetic condition increased his vulnerability, it was the Israeli siege and deprivation of food and medicine that transformed his illness into a humanitarian tragedy.

Misbar's investigation also highlighted how photos of children are systematically exploited in Israeli disinformation campaigns, including through digital tools such as “Community Notes” on X, to deflect accountability and justify Israel’s starvation policies to the global public.

Marah Abu Zahri Was Killed by the Israeli Siege

In August, the death of 20-year-old Palestinian Marah Abu Zahri drew widespread attention after severe malnutrition, imposed by Israel, left her in critical condition and led to her transfer to a hospital in Italy.

Israel sought to deny responsibility for her starvation, claiming that her illness was solely due to leukemia. Official accounts, including the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories account and Israeli diplomats, circulated outdated medical reports to support this claim.

Misbar’s investigation found that tests conducted in Italy ruled out leukemia, showing that Marah arrived in critical organ failure caused by low protein and malnutrition. Italian doctors and officials, including the head of the Tuscany Regional Council, confirmed that Marah died as a result of starvation used as a weapon of war. Two medical advisors further noted that her weakened body could not survive the effects of the siege and forced hunger, despite medical efforts to save her.

Misbar Dismisses Israel's Propaganda on Infant Zainab Abu Halib

Misbar’s thorough investigation documented how the death of infant Zainab Abu Halib, who succumbed to complications of severe malnutrition in Gaza on July 26, became the target of denial and distortion by Israeli accounts, particularly the “Gazawood” account.

These accounts selectively cited interviews and statements from Zainab’s mother, claiming that the infant had a “complex medical condition” or underwent surgery unrelated to starvation, in an attempt to undermine reporting by international media and organizations, including CNN, which reported her as a victim of Israel’s starvation policy. These misleading claims went viral.

Misbar obtained complete medical records and official statements from the physicians overseeing Zainab’s care, confirming that severe malnutrition caused by the lack of appropriate infant formula due to the siege directly led to her deterioration and death.

Reports further indicated that attempts to treat her with available substitutes failed to meet her nutritional needs, resulting in complications such as gastroenteritis and sepsis. The head of the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Department at Nasser Medical Complex emphasized that her life could have been saved if adequate nutrition had been accessible.

Supported by medical evidence, her mother’s testimony, and on-the-ground documentation, Misbar debunked Israeli attempts to cast doubt, confirming that Zainab’s death reflects the harsh reality of starvation threatening thousands of children in Gaza.

Old Photos and Organized Campaigns to Deny Starvation in Gaza

The Israeli occupation used a key disinformation tactic during its genocidal war on Gaza, circulating footage that shows Palestinians looking healthy to deny the existence of starvation.

For instance, in early August, official and unofficial Israeli accounts coordinated social media campaigns using old or selectively edited photos of Palestinians in good health, contrasting them with footage of Israeli captives showing visible signs of hunger and exhaustion.

Misbar’s investigation revealed that this disinformation is deliberate, forming part of a political strategy designed to undermine humanitarian narratives and dodge Israel's responsibility for using starvation as a weapon of war.

Misbar's investigation also documented how Israeli accounts recirculate photos from previous interviews and presented them as misleading evidence, deliberately ignoring testimonies from Palestinian doctors, U.N. reports, and international data showing that one million children in Gaza are at risk of hunger. 

Through these coordinated tactics, the occupation has turned denial into a systematic propaganda tool, contradicting verified field evidence and concealing policies that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians in the Strip.

Israeli Accounts Recirculate Old Videos to Deny Gaza Starvation

Misbar has previously documented how Israeli accounts systematically resurface old footage to deny starvation in Gaza. An investigation highlighted posts by the “Gazawood” account, which relied on selectively edited clips to undermine reports of hunger, targeting Palestinians in Gaza and recirculating outdated promotional material.

In July, the account shared a satirical video featuring 16-year-old content creator Nana Abu Hashem, combining old cooking clips with a shot of her turning over an empty pot, mocking Gazans’ suffering with the caption, “No food. No water. And no shame either.”

Misbar’s review of Nana’s Instagram found that the clips were old and that she had not posted any cooking content since June 27, when even basic dishes she had previously shown, such as falafel, had become too expensive and inaccessible for most Gaza residents.

The account also promoted another clip of a small shop in Deir al-Balah, “Mahmoud Market,” showing shelves stocked with basic items like chocolate and potato chips, claiming that Gaza does not face a food crisis. 

Misbar's team found that the video was published in March, before Israel tightened the blockade and restricted goods, and that the shop later announced a temporary closure due to shortages and high prices.

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