Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
A Facebook social media page called "Kosovo Report"has published two pieces of content, an image and a video, claiming that there is no hunger crisis in Gaza.
In one video material (archived) published by this site on July 29, it is claimed that the images show a market in Al-Sahaba in Gaza, being used as evidence that there is no hunger crisis there.
While in another post (archived), which shows a woman with a little girl in her arms, who is alleged to have lost the ability to walk due to the lack of food in Gaza, this site calls this information false.
The truth?
After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was found that the video material attempts to make an incorrect generalization that there is no hunger crisis in Gaza, based only on footage of a market. Meanwhile, the other claim that the child shown in the photo has not lost the ability to walk due to the lack of food in Gaza is false.
After researching online, hibrid.info found footage of a video showing people shopping in Gaza. This content was verified by fact-checkers at Deutche Welle.
It says DW Factcheck spoke to Majdi Fathi, the journalist credited with the video. He reportedly confirmed that the footage is authentic and shows a market inside Gaza, adding that this did not mean that food was available to everyone.
"These vegetables and fruits are very expensive. Most people in Gaza cannot afford them. What Gaza lacks are other food items like meat, milk, rice and eggs. I couldn't find anything else to film in the market," Fathi is said to have said.
Meanwhile, another claim that the child in the photo did not lose his ability to walk due to the lack of food in Gaza was denied. Hibrid.info found the article published by the medium Anadolu Agency, which shows footage of this child and explains that his condition has deteriorated as a result of malnutrition.
“Nine-year-old Meryem Abdulaziz Mahmoud Davvas, who took refuge with her family in a shelter in central Gaza due to Israeli attacks, is now severely malnourished and unable to walk. Meryem, who weighed 25 kilograms before the attacks, has dropped to 10 kilograms. Hospital tests revealed no organic disease and doctors confirmed that her condition was entirely due to hunger and malnutrition. Meryem’s family has urgently sought treatment and healthy nutritional support outside Gaza to ensure their daughter’s survival.”, it says in the description of these photos.
What do international reports say?
Integrated Food Safety Phase Classification (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification – IPC), a global hunger monitoring mechanism, has warned that extreme hunger thresholds have been crossed in some parts of Gaza, particularly in Gaza City, describing the crisis as a “worst-case scenario” that is already unfolding.
According to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization – WHO), 63 of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in Gaza this year occurred during the month of July alone, including 38 adults and 24 children under the age of 5.
Meanwhile, humanitarian workers on the ground report that they too are facing hunger, while the Gaza Health Ministry has announced that dozens of people have died from hunger-related causes over the past three weeks. (see here)
Analyze:
The Facebook page “Kosova Report” has shared two pieces of content, a video and a photo, with the aim of denying the hunger crisis in Gaza. The video, which is claimed to have been shot in a market in Al-Sahaba, shows images of fruits and vegetables, being used as evidence that there is no food shortage in Gaza. While in another post, which shows a little girl in her mother’s arms, the page claims that she has not lost the ability to walk as a result of hunger.
After verification by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the images of the market are authentic, but they do not represent the general situation in Gaza. According to journalist Majdi Fathi, who made the video, the prices of products are very high and basic foods are missing, which excludes the possibility that most residents have access to them. Meanwhile, the claim about the girl was denied through an article by Anadolu Agency, which confirms that her health condition has seriously deteriorated as a result of malnutrition and hunger.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses these claims as "Disinformation".
Reasoning:
"Disinformation" is defined as information content that contains a "mix" of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful attributes, and that is created and/or distributed with the deliberate intention of causing harm. The motive behind the producers/distributors of disinformation content lies in achieving a political, financial, psychological or social goal.