Vandals spray-painted The New York Times building in New York City on Wednesday, as shown in images seen by The Jerusalem Post.
The spray paint message read "NYT LIES, GAZA DIES."
The vandalism occurred after the NYT amended its article about starvation in Gaza on Tuesday to include that a child featured in the story and on its front page, Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, had a preexisting medical condition affecting his appearance.
"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,” the NYT shared in a statement on X/Twitter.
The amendment followed a request from the Israeli Consulate General in New York, and after the photo of Mutawaq with his brother spread across social media, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.
The consulate informed the NYT of Mutawaq’s medical condition, according to Israeli media, citing Israeli sources.
“It’s unfortunate that the international media repeatedly falls for Hamas propaganda. First they publish, then they verify, if at all,” Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis stated.
Mixed reactions on the NYT's amendment
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett expressed outrage regarding the NYT on X, writing, "This is simply unbelievable. After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has preexisting conditions."
He further criticized, "NYT, you knew that Hamas uses babies with preexisting illnesses. We’ve been saying this for months now. You knew exactly what this picture would cause. This is a blood libel in 2025. Have you no shame?"
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon similarly accused the NYT of using the image of a Palestinian child on their cover as a "lie" and a "blood libel," while appearing on Piers Morgan's show, as shown in his interview on X.
In response, Danon criticized the NYT's retraction, saying, "The photo was a lie, which the newspaper retracted. But the way they retracted it was also shameful," referring to the amendment's quiet announcement on X.
Independent journalist David Collier also commented on X, stating, "There is no joy in this. With @bbcnews forced to take down a documentary because the star was the son of a Hamas minister."
And now, most legacy media need to own up to using deceitful photos. We can't possibly trust a media that just keeps lying to us."
Piers Morgan, however, disagreed. "The boy was clearly emaciated! He's clearly not eating!" he remarked.