Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) promoted propaganda over the weekend that falsely portrayed children as having died from Israeli military operations when, in reality, they died a decade ago from fighting in Syria.
The false claim that Omar promoted on her X account originated from self-described “investigative journalist” Sulaiman Ahmed.
“CHILD GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE,” the post, which included a photo of dead children, claimed. “614 Palestinian children murdered by the Israeli IOF Forces.”
Omar then shared the false claim to her nearly three million followers on X.
The reality is that the photo is from an August 2013 article in National Geographic and it shows children in Damascus, Syria, “shortly after they succumbed to chemical weapon poisoning.”
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
Omar faced backlash online for promoting the propaganda.
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky slammed 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.”
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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 Democratic lawmaker Dov Hikind called out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over the matter as she complained about “misinformation” on X about the war.
“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 showed a video in which Palestinians appeared to try to pass off a doll as a dead child as Israel was conducting airstrikes against 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
Related: IDF Urges Gazans To Evacuate As Hamas Blocks Escape Route: ‘Our War Is Not With The People Of Gaza’