Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accusing The New York Times of defamation over its reporting on starvation in Gaza, specifically a front-page photo of an emaciated child that the paper later acknowledged was misleading.
"[The] New York Times should be sued," Netanyahu told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer during an exclusive sit-down interview Thursday.
"I'm actually looking at whether a country can sue The New York Times, and I'm looking into it right now, because I think it's such a… it's such clear defamation."
Netanyahu’s criticism stems from a photo used in a Times article headlined, "Young, Old and Sick Starve to Death in Gaza: ‘There Is Nothing.’" The photo showed a young boy being cradled by his mother. He is clearly emaciated with his spine poking through his skin. The article’s focus was meant to highlight the worsening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn region.
Days later, the Times issued a correction acknowledging that the child had a preexisting medical condition that contributed to his appearance. Neither the article nor the caption originally included this information.
"I mean, you put a picture of a child that's supposed to then represent all these supposedly starving children, yet…" said Netanyahu, "they put in this picture of a child who has cerebral palsy."
The Times correction noted that after the story was published, they were informed of the preexisting health condition by the boy’s doctor. The outlet wrote: "Had The Times known the information before publication, it would have been included in the article and the picture caption."
But Netanyahu said the correction wasn’t satisfactory.
"It’s [The New York Times] put out this thing," said Netanyahu. "Then it corrects it with a denial the size of a postage stamp buried in the back pages."
A spokesperson for the Times told Fox News Digital said Netanyahu's threat of a lawsuit is an "increasingly common playbook" and that their reporters will continue to report on the war in Gaza.
"Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented. Mr. Netanyahu is referring to an update we made to a story about how the food crisis is affecting the civilian population. After publication, we learned that a child shown in that story -- in addition to being severely malnourished -- also had pre-existing health problems. That additional information gave readers a greater understanding of his situation," they said. "Attempts to threaten independent media providing vital information and accountability to the public are unfortunately an increasingly common playbook, but journalists continue to report from Gaza for The Times, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war."
Despite the Israeli leader’s outrage at the story, several international organizations, including the United Nations, have warned about the worsening hunger situation in Gaza.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban told Fox News that malnutrition in the region has reached famine levels.
"After 22 months of war, two months of a blockade by Israel, people are in a horrendous state," Chaiban said.
NEW YORK TIMES ADMITS USING MISLEADING COVER PHOTO OF EMACIATED GAZA CHILD
Netanyahu acknowledged the suffering but blamed Hamas for making the crisis worse. He's accused the terror group of looting aid shipments and reselling supplies at inflated prices.
"I don’t deny that there’s suffering," Netanyahu said. "I want to end the suffering, and I want to end it by ending Hamas rule."
During the interview, Netanyahu confirmed his intention to take full control of the Gaza Strip. The announcement marks a major policy shift after Israel left the territory nearly two decades ago.
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The article was updated to include a statement from the New York Times.
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