Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is facing a backlash after she shared fake propaganda on social media to attack Israel by falsely claiming Israeli forces “murdered” children.
The propaganda showed images that falsely portrayed children as having been killed by Israeli military operations.
However, in reality, the photo shared shows children who died a decade ago from fighting in Syria.
Omar promoted the fabricated story on her Twitter/X account.
The false claim originated from self-described “investigative journalist” Sulaiman Ahmed.
Ahmed’s post on X included a photo of dead children who were killed in Syria.
“CHILD GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE,” Ahmed claimed alongside the image of dead children.
“614 Palestinian children murdered by the Israeli IOF Forces,” he falsely alleged.
Omar then shared the false claim to her almost three million followers on X.
Ilhan Omar has reposted an image purported to be from Gaza but is actually a 2013 image of child victims of the Assad regime's Eastern Ghouta gas attack.
This is a sitting Congresswoman. I have absolutely no words. pic.twitter.com/To3qrHIGP3
— Kareem Rifai 🌐 (@KareemRifai) October 14, 2023
The photo used in the pro-Hamas propaganda is from an August 2013 article in National Geographic.
It shows children in Damascus, Syria, “shortly after they succumbed to chemical weapon poisoning.”
Omar faced backlash online for promoting the fake claims.
Many argued that Omar, a Mulsim, is blinded by anti-Semitism.
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky blasted Omar, writing:
“Where @IlhanMN is now literally RT’ing fake news!
“This is a horrific picture of kids murdered by chemical weapons in Syria.
“She is claiming this is Gaza.
“She is just so ravaged with Jew hatred.”
NBC News deputy tech editor Ben Goggin weighed in: “Ilhan Omar reposting recycled imagery passed off as from Gaza.
“Sulaiman has repeatedly posted misinformation throughout this entire conflict.”
NewsBusters Managing Editor Curtis Houck also took a shot at Sulaiman, writing:
“Sulaiman Ahmed is a notorious peddler of not only disinformation and anti-Semitism but lies about Jews and Israel writ large.”
“This is a truly despicable guy during a week where many, many people illustrated hate and repugnant behavior,” he added.
Sulaiman Ahmed is a notorious peddler of not only disinformation and anti-Semitism, but lies about Jews and Israel writ large.
This is a truly despicable guy during a week where many, many people illustrated hate and repugnant behavior. https://t.co/ULgSGKWLrW
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 15, 2023
Former New York Democrat lawmaker Dov Hikind also called out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over the matter.
Omar’s propaganda came as Ocasio-Cortez complained about “misinformation” about the war spreading on X.
“The level of misinformation in all directions at this moment is incredibly high, especially on this platform,” AOC posted on X.
“If you see a claim, photo, or video that triggers a strong emotional reaction, take a moment to pause and check for veracity/confirmation from multiple sources.”
“@AOC ought to have a word with @IlhanMN about her pathetic promotion of an image of dead babies from Syria killed by Assad to try and malign Israel,” he wrote.
“But of course, AOC is a HYPOCRITE just as Ilhan is a propagandist!”
.@AOC ought to have a word with @IlhanMN about her pathetic promotion of an image of dead babies from Syria killed by Assad to try and malign Israel.
But of course AOC is a HYPOCRITE just as Ilhan is a propagandist! https://t.co/eVGPFcMC8G pic.twitter.com/8wAdYGrybu
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) October 14, 2023
The Israeli government also released a video showing Hamas attempting to fake child victims.
The video shows Palestinians appearing to try to pass off a doll as a dead child as Israel was conducting airstrikes against Hamas terrorists.
WATCH:
Hamas accidentally posted a video of a doll (yes a doll) suggesting that it was a part of casualties caused by an IDF attack. pic.twitter.com/U14Lb2BOhv
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) October 13, 2023
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