Outdated Photos of a Food Market Used by Pro-Israel Trolls to Deny Famine in Gaza

Misbar investigated the viral photo and found the claim to be misleading. 

A thorough reverse image search revealed the photos making the rounds to be older than claimed.

Old Photos Used to Deny Starvation Amid War in Gaza

Contrary to claims by Israeli social media trolls, the two photos are neither recent nor from June 2024. Misbar’s investigative team traced the first photo back to January 18, 2024. 

Gaza Now, an independent media network, originally uploaded the photo to the X platform, stating it was taken in Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the Central Gaza Strip. 

The caption reads, “Residents are trying to restore life from the midst of pain and destruction, from the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.”

A reverse image search also revealed that the second circulating photo is also outdated. The original photo began circulating in April 2024. 

A reverse image search also revealed that the second circulating photo is outdated. Ramallah News, a media agency, published the original photo, along with a photo collage, on April 5, 2024, stating, "Bananas reach Gaza markets for the first time in 6 months."

New Famine Alert in Gaza: Families Endure Days Without Food

Gaza is facing a severe famine alert, with food security experts warning on Tuesday that more than 20% of households are going "entire days without eating."

According to the latest U.N.-partnered IPC report on hunger levels, 96% of the population, approximately 2.15 million people, are experiencing acute food insecurity at a "crisis" level or higher (level three of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, IPC). Within this group, nearly half a million people are living in "catastrophic" conditions (IPC 5), highlighting the "high risk" of famine throughout the Gaza Strip as long as conflict persists and humanitarian access remains restricted.

Yasmina Guerda from the U.N. aid coordination office (OCHA), speaking after her second deployment to Gaza, described delivering aid as an exasperating "daily puzzle" that has left malnourished children without necessary life saving help.

According to another report by the leading international authority on hunger crises, Gaza remains at “high risk” of famine following Israel’s offensive in Rafah, which caused displacement and disrupted aid operations in the south, a draft report revealed on Monday.

Experts indicated that nearly everyone in Gaza is struggling to secure enough food, with more than 495,000 people, over a fifth of the 2.3 million population, expected to face the highest level of starvation in the coming months.

In its previous report from March, the IPC warned that famine was “imminent” in northern Gaza, an area that has endured widespread destruction and isolation by Israeli troops since the onset of the ground invasion. That report stated that approximately a third of Gaza’s population was experiencing stage 5 hunger, the most severe level of starvation.

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