Overview

• Italian outlets initially reported that Marah Abu Zohry died in Pisa from respiratory failure linked to severe malnutrition after her evacuation from Gaza.
• Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the IDF tweeted that the 20-year-old had leukemia, contradicting the malnutrition claim.
• On August 17–18, the BBC amended its report to mention the leukemia explanation in addition to the malnutrition narrative.
• U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and journalist Melanie Phillips publicly mocked the malnutrition report, calling for a retraction and apology.
• Critics say the episode highlights ongoing challenges in verifying medical reports during conflict and has revived scrutiny of the network’s Gaza coverage.