The headquarters of The New York Times. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The New York Times has added an editors’ note to a widely shared news article that spotlighted a severely malnourished child in Gaza, revealing that the 18-month-old boy maintained pre-existing health issues that contributed to his current condition.

The addition followed mounting scrutiny over the accuracy of the story and the credibility of its sources.

The original article focused in part on al-Mutawaq, who has been reportedly suffering from acute malnutrition amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The story, accompanied by a harrowing image of the emaciated child, was quickly amplified across social media and used by advocacy groups and some politicians to demand further pressure on Israel to halt its military campaign in the enclave against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

However, within days, Israeli officials and independent analysts raised concerns about the report. Medical experts noted inconsistencies in the image and questioned whether the child’s condition truly reflected famine rather than preexisting illness. Critics pointed out the lack of corroboration from independent humanitarian organizations or UN agencies, many of which have not confirmed famine in northern Gaza despite repeated claims from Hamas-linked sources.

Furthermore, online researchers identified pro-Hamas affiliations among some individuals featured in the story or cited as sources, prompting questions about whether the Times had adequately vetted the material.

Amid growing backlash, the New York Times appended the editors’ note to the article, and the newspaper also issued a statement elaborating on the situation.

“We recently ran a story about Gaza’s most vulnerable civilians, including Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition,” a spokesperson said. “We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that treated him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his pre-existing health problems. This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation.”

“A lie went viral. A child’s illness was twisted into propaganda. This isn’t journalism. It’s a blood libel,” the Israel Foreign Ministry posted on X/Twitter.

Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that they coordinate with international agencies to facilitate the entry of food and aid into Gaza, and that it is Hamas, not Israel, that diverts or seizes supplies for its fighters. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recently released footage which showed stockpiles of food, fuel, and medical supplies in areas controlled by Hamas.

The Israeli government has facilitated the entry of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, with officials condemning international aid agencies for their alleged failure to distribute supplies, which have largely been stalled at border crossings.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) in Australia announced the apprehension of an unnamed 21-year-old man for his alleged role in a Dec. 6, 2024, arson attack. Photo: Victoria Police

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) in Australia announced the apprehension of an unnamed 21-year-old man who could face charges which carry potential 15- and 10-year jail sentences for his alleged role in a Dec. 6, 2024, arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue — an Orthodox congregation in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea — that left one person with minor burns and the building with extensive damage.

On Wednesday, a joint statement from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization said that in addition to torching the Jewish house of worship, the suspected assailant also allegedly stole a car, an offense with a maximum 10-year sentence, the same as a third charge for “endangering life.” Authorities say the man collaborated with two other individuals in commission of his crimes. They arrested another individual on July 16 for allegedly stealing the car used in the arson.

“Since the fire occurred on Dec. 6 last year, the investigation has been one of the highest priorities for Victoria Police and the JCTT,” Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Wendy Steendam said. “Today’s arrest is a demonstration of our ongoing efforts to hold those involved to account. We now have charged two people as part of this investigation, and I expect there will be more to come.”

Steendam added, “What has also been clear to us throughout this investigation is that assistance from the public is absolutely crucial and without that assistance, the investigation would not be where it is today. We know there are people out there with information that will progress this investigation – whether that is people we have already spoken to or others who are yet to come forward. Again, I appeal for those people to contact police. If you have any details at all about those involved and their motivation, then we want to hear from you. Even the smallest detail or piece of information could prove crucial.”

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said that “people deserve to be safe and feel safe, particularly when it comes to their places of worship. This is not negotiable in any way. We remain committed to identifying all those who seek to cause this kind of fear and harm, and ensuring they are brought to justice.”

The Australian government has committed 30 million Australian dollars ($20 million) for reconstructing the synagogue. “This attack was not simply an attack on Jewish Australians; an attack on a synagogue is an attack on Australia and is treated as such,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett confirmed that the JCTT investigated the synagogue attack as politically motivated.

“We will not let this go unpunished in Australia. And that’s why we have responded with relentless determination to pursue those responsible and hold them to account,” Barrett told reporters. “This crime was despicable as it was dangerous, and it is important to acknowledge that this was not just an arson on a synagogue.”

Explaining the broader impact of the arson, Barrett said that “the effect of this crime has rippled through a community that continues to be targeted by criminals. We will not stand for this, and I want to reassure the public that this is not just a priority investigation for the JCTT, but also for the AFP. I want to thank the Jewish community across Australia, and in particular, the Adass Israel Synagogue congregation, for their stoicism, patience, and the support they have shown the JCTT.”

Barrett said that investigators suspect overseas actors may have coordinated the attack. “The motivation is still being assessed,” she said, explaining the AFP was “working closely with our Five Eyes partners and international partners to ensure our collective powers and capabilities are drawn upon to help bring those responsible to justice.”

“Five Eyes” refers to the collaborative relationship between the espionage agencies of anglosphere allies Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.

Australian law enforcement had previously announced in January they believed that foreign criminal groups may have orchestrated violence in the wave of antisemitic incidents that Australia has experienced over the last year.

However, recent polling shows a homegrown antisemitism problem in Australia.

From June 27 through July 1, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) watchdog organization polled 1,000 Australians, finding that only 24 percent of respondents regarded the country’s attitudes toward Jews as “very positive” (9 percent) or “slightly positive” (15 percent). These numbers contrasted with the higher levels (28 percent) who answered “very negative” (8 percent) or “slightly negative” (20 percent).

“Australia used to be thought of as a safe haven for Jews, but that image has unfortunately been shattered over the last two years,” CAM’s CEO Sacha Roytman said in a statement. “Many national and local authorities were left shocked and surprised by this wave of hate and we are working with our partners in Australia to provide strategies and the necessary tools to fight hate and antisemitism.”

A pro-Hamas demonstrator uses a bullhorn during a protest at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on March 11, 2025. Photo: Daniel Cole via Reuters Connect.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has agreed to pay $6.45 million to settle a lawsuit which accused it of fostering a discriminatory and antisemitic learning environment during the 2023-2024 academic year.

The sum includes $2.33 million in donations for a consortium of Jewish civil rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Academic Engagement Network (AEN), and UCLA’s Hillel International campus chapter; another $320,000 will be awarded to the UCLA Initiative to Combat Antisemitism. The accusers — Yitzchok Frankel, Joshua Ghayoum, and Eden Shemuelian, who were UCLA students at the time of filing, as well as UCLA Health Dr. Kamran Shamsa — will split the remaining $3.6 million.

“Antisemitism harassment, and other forms of intimidation are antithetical to our values and have no place at the University of California,” UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said in a press release on Tuesday. “We have been clear about where we have fallen short, and we are committed to doing better moving forward. Today’s settlement reflects a critically important goal that we share with the plaintiffs: to foster a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for all members of our community and ensure that there is no room for antisemitism anywhere on campus.”

Filed in June 2024, the suit excoriated UCLA’s handling of a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that an anti-Zionist student group erected on campus in the final weeks of the 2024 spring semester, explaining that it was a source of antisemitism from the moment it went up. According to the complaint, students there chanted “death to the Jews,” set up illegal checkpoints through which no one could pass unless they denounced Israel, and ordered campus security assigned there by the university to ensure that no Jews entered it.

Alleging that UCLA refused to clear the encampment despite knowing what was happening there, the complaint charged that administrators put on a “remarkable display of cowardice, appeasement, and illegality.” In doing so, it continued, UCLA allowed a “Jewish Exclusion Zone” on its property, violating its own policies as well as “the basic guarantee of equal access to educational facilities that receive federal funding” and other equal protection laws.

Numerous antisemitic incidents occurred at UCLA before the spring encampment, the complaint added.

Just five days after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, the complaint said, anti-Zionist protesters chanted “Itbah El Yahud” at Bruin Plaza, which means “slaughter the Jews” in Arabic. Other incidents included someone’s tearing a chapter page out of Philip Roth’s 2004 novel The Plot Against America, titled “Loudmouth Jew,” and leaving it outside the home of a UCLA faculty member, as well as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) staging a disturbing demonstration in which its members cudgeled a piñata, to which a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s face was glued, while shouting “beat the Jew.”

In Tuesday’s press release the plaintiffs said in a joint statement with UCLA that “we are pleased with terms today’s settlement. The injunction and other terms UCLA has agreed to demonstrate real progress in the fight against antisemitism.”

UCLA’s legal woes did not end with Tuesday’s settlement. On the same day, the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division ruled that UCLA’s response to antisemitic incidents, some of which were cited in the students’ lawsuit, constitutes violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The ruling could threaten the $1 billion in direct funding the university receives from the federal government annually.

“Our investigation into the University of California system has found concerning evidence of systemic antisemitism at UCLA that demands severe accountability from the institution,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “This disgusting breach of civil rights against students will not stand: the [Department of Justice] will force UCLA to pay a heavy price for putting Jewish Americans at risk and continue our ongoing investigations into other campuses in the UC system.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.