Gaza photographer dropped by agencies after film reveals staged ‘hunger’ images
Anas Zayed Fteiha filmed orchestrating photo of children with empty bowls; agencies cut ties amid concerns over accuracy and independence,
Several major European picture agencies have stopped working with a Gaza-based photographer after a German documentary revealed he staged an image portraying hunger in the Strip.
Anas Zayed Fteiha, a contributor to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, was filmed arranging a photo of Palestinian children with outstretched empty bowls – seemingly queuing for food. But a wide-angle shot in the documentary, broadcast by Süddeutsche Zeitung, shows the scene was constructed in an open area with no aid distribution taking place.
The image, which appeared in outlets including CNN, BBC News, and New York Magazine, was circulated by Anadolu during Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
The investigation by SZ prompted swift fallout. According to German newspaper Bild, both Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the German Press Agency (dpa) have confirmed they will no longer accept Fteiha’s work.
Questions have also been raised over Fteiha’s impartiality. Archived social media posts reviewed by Bild show him sharing anti-Israel content – including a graphic image of himself wearing a press vest amid Al-Aqsa Mosque domes captioned “Free Palestine,” and a video clip with the words “f*** Israel.”
Despite the backlash, a spokesperson for Reuters told Bild that the controversial image “meets the standards of accuracy, independence, and impartiality.”
Photography historian Professor Gerhard Paul told Süddeutsche Zeitung that the problem goes beyond a single photographer:
“I assume many of these images of starving or sick children are staged or come from different contexts,” he said. “These are not fakes, but the people are presented in a certain way or given a misleading caption to mobilise our visual memory and our emotions.”
He added that in southern Gaza, where Hamas maintains control, “you have to assume it controls 100 percent of image production.”
However, Reporters Without Borders Middle East spokesperson Christopher Resch defended Fteiha’s approach: “More context should have been given – but that doesn’t make the situation any better. That’s how many photographers around the world work. Of course it’s always about the effect.”
Resch warned against labelling Gaza photojournalists as propagandists: “That’s brutally dangerous. Once a name is circulating, these journalists receive death threats.”
The controversy has reignited debate about media ethics in war reporting, particularly in Gaza, where Israel bars foreign press entry and where Hamas controls local access, distribution, and public messaging.
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