AI-Generated Image of Palestinian Kid Beside His Dead Mother Circulates Online
The Claim
An image shows a boy standing beside his killed mother after being bombed by Israel.
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Amidst the recent Israeli invasion of Rafah, located in southern Gaza, social media users widely circulated an image purporting to show a young boy, visibly covered in dust and blood, standing beside his killed mother after being bombed by Israel.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating image and found it to be fake.
Misbar’s investigative team determined the image to be AI-generated.
AI-Generated Image of a Palestinian Kid Beside His Dead Mother
Contrary to social media users’ claim, the image does not show a Palestinian child grieving over the loss of his mother in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah.
An image detector from Hugging Face AI has confirmed a 96% likelihood that the image was created by AI.
The image generated by AI notably features the child with six fingers on one hand. In addition, scrutiny reveals inconsistencies in the portrayal of the Palestinian flag on the child's clothing, with the red triangle not accurately resembling the official design.
UNRWA: A Child Killed Every 10 Minutes in Gaza
Every ten minutes, Israel kills a child in the besieged Gaza Strip, as reported by the U.N. Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
"A deplorable number of children have also been injured amid intense and often indiscriminate attacks,” the agency said on X. “An immediate ceasefire is the last hope remaining."
UNICEF echoed these concerns, stating that children in Gaza are dying at an alarming rate. The agency spokesperson, James Elder, revealed that more than 14,000 girls and boys have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
UNICEF Communication Specialist Tess Ingram shared that data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health indicates over 12,000 children—nearly 70 children each day—have been injured since the beginning of the war.
Gaza Death Toll Climbs As IOF Continues Assault on Rafah
Since October 7, Israeli assaults on Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 34,971 Palestinians and injuries to 78,641 individuals.
In a grim discovery, the Health Ministry in Gaza has revealed the uncovering of 80 bodies from three mass graves within a section of the al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City.
The Israeli military has escalated its assault on eastern Rafah in southern Gaza, issuing orders for Palestinians to evacuate the area.
A report from the U.S. State Department acknowledges that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely breaches international humanitarian law. However, despite this, Washington intends to continue supplying arms to Israel.
The U.N. agency OCHA is facing challenges in providing aid to Palestinians due to Israeli restrictions. Key crossings are closed, missions are denied, and movement is delayed, hindering the delivery of crucial assistance.
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