Mohammed Mushtaha Caught Between Pro-Israeli and Pro-Palestinian Misleading Narratives

Photos of a young Gazan man, Mohammed Mushtaha, with an injury to his eyes have flooded the internet recently, with two conflicting narratives from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian accounts.

Israeli-linked and pro-Israel accounts claimed Mushtaha’s image was AI-generated, dismissing it as “Gazawood” propaganda and suggesting the injury was fabricated.

On the other hand, pro-Palestinian accounts circulated his photos along with claims that Israeli soldiers gouged out Mushtaha’s eyes while torturing him in Israeli detention after his arrest on October 7, 2023, adding that he was recently released.

Mohammed Mushtaha Denies Pro-Palestinian Claims to Misbar

In a phone interview with Misbar, Mohammed Mushtaha, a resident of the Al-Shujayya neighborhood, eastern Gaza City, denied that he was ever detained or tortured by Israeli soldiers.

“I was injured after an Israeli drone targeted me two years ago, on December 6, 2023.”

The 27-year-old man clarified that he was targeted on Al-Wihda Street, in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, near the Rimal Clinic, as he was heading to the market to buy food.

Mushtaha noted that some individuals are promoting the false narrative “for personal gain” and that he is pursuing legal action against a number of them.

Photos and Videos of Mushtaha Deny AI Manipulation

Misbar’s team analyzed photos and videos of Mushtaha, finding no evidence of digital manipulation.

In one photo published in April 2025, Mushtaha appears standing inside a small local spice shop. Multiple sacks behind Mushtaha contain handwritten Arabic labels written directly on the plastic packaging. One sack is marked with the word “سمك” (fish), while others are labeled “توابل رز كاري” (curry rice spices), “تايلندي” (Thai spices), and “إكليل الجبل” (rosemary). The handwriting is coherent, readable, and contextually appropriate. AI-generated images often produce distorted or nonsensical text, which is not the case here.

Moreover, the bottles and containers on the shelves behind him are clearly separated and aligned naturally. They do not appear fused or overlapping in unnatural ways, which also undermines the likelihood of AI manipulation in the image.

For further confirmation, Misbar’s team examined the photo using InVID’s image forensic analysis tool, which is designed to detect signs of digital manipulation. The analysis did not detect any irregularities across multiple filters, including compression consistency, block structure, and duplication traces. The image showed uniform compression patterns throughout, indicating that its elements were captured and processed as part of a single, unaltered photograph.

Across multiple photos and videos, Mushtaha appears with the same injury to his eyes. The details do not alter from one photo or video to another, which also confirms that his photos are not AI-generated.

Independent Reports Confirm Mohammed Mushtaha’s Injury

Aside from the forensic analysis of Mushtaha's photos, the 27-year-old man was featured in multiple reports following his injury.

In September 2024, the Saudi outlet Al Arabiya reported on Mushtaha’s injury, featuring him with the same visible injury to his eyes.

Separately, The New Arab interviewed Mushtaha, reporting that he lost both of his eyes. The report noted that due to the absence of specialized ophthalmologists and severe shortages of medical supplies at the time, only limited treatment was available, resulting in permanent vision loss.

These independent reports, published months before the recent viral circulation of claims, further confirm that Mushtaha’s injury is real and consistent over time, contradicting claims that the images were fabricated or AI-generated.

Systematic Pattern of Denying Gazans’ Injuries to Avoid Accountability

The denial of Mushtaha’s injury comes under a broader Israeli disinformation campaign to downplay Israeli atrocities and avoid accountability.

In a similar case, Israeli-linked accounts previously spread doctored images to deny the injury suffered by Mahmoud Abu Foul, a former Palestinian detainee who lost his eyesight due to torture in Israeli custody. Despite verified footage and multiple media reports confirming his blindness, pro-Israel accounts accused him of fabricating the injury and circulated altered images to claim he retained his vision. Misbar found that the images used to discredit Abu Foul were digitally manipulated.

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