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New York Times Guest Essay Claims IDF Targets Gazan Children; Is It True?
The New York Times opinion essay “65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza” from October 9 blew up last weekend, as weapons and forensic ballistic experts debunked and questioned X-ray images featured in the piece claiming to be 5.56 caliber bullets inside the skulls of Gazan children.
The actual impact of a 5.56 caliber bullet was nowhere close to what these images claimed to be. But this thread on X (formerly Twitter) gathers various inputs across the platform. With no exit wounds present, skull fractures, or change in the shape of the bullets, the authenticity of these X-rays was concluded as being highly problematic.
The New York Times appears to have published completely fake news in order to falsely accuse the IDF of committing war crimes and shooting children “at point blank range” which Gazan and foreign medics testify they witnessed.
The only problem with this is the “evidence”… pic.twitter.com/Dsi9YR5TBa
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) October 12, 2024
This suggests, in short, that the Times did not verify the information in the piece adequately before it was published — thereby allowing lies to be platformed to the public. Here are two extensive examinations of the X-ray images.
As a former Law Enforcement Officer, Ret. Special Forces Soldier (Green Beret) and Sniper, I feel confident in saying I know the effects of 5.56 NATO (M855).
Conclusion:
The NYT lied or failed to verify the information presented to them. This is based on the MV and BC of the… pic.twitter.com/0gusGVtwHg
— Matt Tardio (@angertab) October 12, 2024
And in more depth, the forensic medical evidence is provided here:
Hello @afalkhatib
I saw your post after seeing the reply from @COLRICHARDKEMP and @AntSpeaks, and then I read the article, twice. As someone who is actually a forensic ballistics specialist, I wanted to respond to your post, and this article, with some facts that will… https://t.co/NLhX9ILcCn
— Cheryl E (@CherylWroteIt) October 12, 2024
As HonestReporting previously stated in its critique of the piece on Friday, these testimonies are not proof that these casualties are a result of IDF fire. Indeed, Hamas is also known to shoot their own people.
Nothing here is proof of war crimes by the @IDF. This x-ray, which looks suspicious anyway, certainly doesn’t prove it. Who is to say the head shots were not Hamas fire, either deliberately or unintentionally aimed at their own children? Hamas do use 5.56 as well as other… https://t.co/JgJrXw5nXn
— Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Kᴇᴍᴘ ⋁ (@COLRICHARDKEMP) October 11, 2024
But it’s the response of the article’s author, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, that really destroys this piece’s legitimacy.
The author of the NYT piece weighs in, and it’s exactly what you’d expect pic.twitter.com/BFe4qK9cro
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 13, 2024
To deny that Hamas uses civilians as human shields and claim Israel does — and denying that “maximizing civilian deaths” is in Hamas’ interests — is not only delusional, it is an intentional, blatant lie.
There are countries, journalists, and international bodies, the UN included, which have confirmed the use of human shields. And Hamas leaders, like Yahya Sinwar, have even been outspoken on the role innocent civilians play in their strategy to defeat Israel.
PAMA’s Roots
But more than that, the organization that sent these doctors into Gaza as volunteers, the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA), has a history entangled with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a US organization that has been linked to terrorist groups.
I will question the motives of any organization that routinely collaborates with CAIR (the US-based Hamas front group) and hosts antisemite extraordinaire Linda Sarsour pic.twitter.com/jdcIQgWRAn
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 12, 2024
It appears that PAMA is no stranger to outright disinformation, and the proof is in the pudding for this New York Times piece as well.
Proof the piece was authored by a PAMA volunteer, as was the person who supplied the images, Dr. Mimi Syed.
It’s a shame because I’m sure PAMA has done important work in Gaza with those tragically impacted by the war. But there’s no excuse for joining the disinformation campaign pic.twitter.com/ctCzz3vEoN
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 12, 2024
Lesson for The New York Times? Consider your sources. No mission that seems righteous should come at the expense of your publication’s integrity. Just because a claim fits your ideological worldview on Israel, it doesn’t remove the obligation to fact-check and do journalistic due diligence.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post New York Times Guest Essay Claims IDF Targets Gazan Children; Is It True? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.