On doubts – Nikolai Antoniadis, Susanne Koelbl and Dunja Ramadan in Der Spiegel:

‘Photographers usually remain in the background. In the Gaza Strip, they point their cameras at people who are mourning loved ones, living in the rubble of destroyed buildings or standing in lines waiting in vain for something to eat. The Palestinian photojournalist Anas Fteiha has photographed many such scenes, including on July 24 in the Ansar neighborhood of Gaza City, where he was taking photos for the Turkish state-owned newswire Anadolu.
For the past several weeks, he has been the target of a campaign as a result of the photos he took that day. Triggered by an article published in the German tabloid Bild and fueled by official Israeli government channels, Fteiha himself has now become the focus of attention. The 31-year-old even fears for his life, as he told DER SPIEGEL over the phone.’

(…)

‘Numerous Israeli media outlets seized on the doubts surrounding Anas Fteiha’s photos. In reference to the article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung – which requested, in response to a query from DER SPIEGEL, "to keep the reporting of the Süddeutsche Zeitung and that of Bild strictly separate – the newspaper Times of Israel wrote : "The report alleged that some photos showing Gazans with empty pots were not taken at food distribution centers, as widely assumed and stated, but were instead staged in front of photographers to create the illusion of desperation.”’

(…)

‘What, though, really did happen on that July day in Gaza City? We took a closer look.
An Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigation – the examination of publicly available sources, including those on the internet – performed by DER SPIEGEL found that Fteiha was indeed standing at a field kitchen in the photo in question. On one of the photos he took that day, a banner is visible with the name of the field kitchen in question: Khaula al-Badri. It is operated by the Palestinian aid organization Khair al-Nisa, which documents its activities on Instagram.’

(…)

‘When contacted, the Süddeutsche Zeitung admitted that it "has become clear” that the question posed in its headline – "How Authentic Are the Photos from Gaza?” – "was apparently linked to the scene in the photo used to illustrate the article.” Namely, the photo showing Anas Fteiha standing in front of people holding empty pots. The "comments from the expert Paul also discusses such a scene as an example.” From today’s perspective, the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote to DER SPIEGEL, it would have been better to ask Anas Fteiha himself how that specific photo came to pass.’

(…)

‘Ultimately, a clear picture emerges: Anas Fteiha was clearly on site at the food distribution center. These images and numerous other photos on social media also plainly show that numerous women and children were also waiting for food on that day, and not just "primarily adult men,” as Bild wrote.
Furthermore, people waiting for food in Gaza with empty pots is an increasingly frequent sight in Gaza. According to experts from the respected Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), one part of the Gaza Strip is now suffering from famine, as a report from last Friday shows. The area in question is in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and includes Gaza City. This new phase is characterized by "starvation, destitution and death,” says the IPC, adding that more than half a million people are affected.
Given this situation, photographers in Gaza don’t have to search for long to take pictures of the suffering, nor must they herd people together to stage such images, says Fteiha. "Waiting in front of the field kitchens is part of daily life in Gaza. There is far too little food for far too many people, so residents are forced to stand in line for hours. Some return home with empty pots.”’

(…)

‘The expert quoted by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Gerhard Paul, has been researching photography from Israel and Gaza for 25 years and has traveled to the region himself. He claimed that the images have an "additional function.” "They are intended to overwrite the brutal images from the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Many no longer remember those pictures. Hamas is masterful at staging images.” Paul said that he often no longer even looks at the images from Gaza, but nevertheless hypothesized: "The Palestinian side is primarily interested in the emotionalization of the pacifist, Western societies. And it is working extremely well.” Daniel Etter is an award-winning photographer who has also traveled to war zones on behalf of DER SPIEGEL. He says such claims are "an attempt to discredit the work of all photographers in Gaza.” Etter keeps close track of the photos coming from Gaza. "This discourse is absurd, as if anything has to be staged in Gaza. In such areas that are home to catastrophe, photographers don’t have to stage anything.”’

(…)

‘A comprehensive understanding of the situation also requires a look to Israel. The media journalist Oren Persico recently said in an interview with DER SPIEGEL that the large Israeli media outlets – with the exception of the liberal newspaper Haaretz – reports sparingly on the hunger and deaths in the Gaza Strip. Many Israeli journalists, he said, learned their "job as conscripts from army radio,” such that they become "used to limitations from the very beginning, such as the censorship of reports on military operations.” In the case of the current war, however, he said he believes it is "mainly self-censorship.”’

(…)

‘Ten minutes after the conversation comes to an end, Fteiha calls again. He wants to say one last thing, he says. "If anything happens to me or my family, then these German media outlets bear the responsibility.” When confronted with these comments, Bild responded by saying that it doesn’t comment on responses to its reporting. The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that it of course finds it extremely concerning.’

Read the article here.

‘It would have been better to ask Anas Fteiha himself how that specific photo came to pass.’

Yes, indeed.

There is no need to stage misery in Gaz, that must be clear to anybody, even to those who are not following the news.

The self-censorship in Israel is a whole other issue, self-censorship can be found everywhere, but where it’s widespread and totally acceptable the deterioration of a society is well under way.