BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Campaigners cover eye in solidarity with wounded Syrian baby

  • Published
    21 December 2017
Share page
About sharing
This combination of pictures created on December 19, 2017 shows Syrians covering one eye with their hands in the rebel-held town of Douma in Syria's besieged eastern Ghouta region, as part of a campaign in solidarity with a baby boy, Karim, who lost an eye, as well as his mother, in government shelling on the nearby town of HamouriaImage source, AFP/Getty Images
Image caption,

Residents of the besieged Eastern Ghouta pose with one eye covered in solidarity with Karim

BBC UGC and Social News Team
Staff

Photos of a Syrian baby who lost an eye and suffered severe head injuries in a reported government attack have sparked a solidarity campaign on social media.

Karim, who is only two months old, was hurt when artillery shells struck a market in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area on the outskirts of Damascus on 29 October. His mother was killed in the incident.

Home to an estimated 400,000 people, towns and villages in the Eastern Ghouta have been under siege by government forces since 2013.

But despite the area being designated a "de-escalation zone", hostilities have intensified in recent weeks.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday that the situation in the area had reached a "critical point", external, with life "slowly becoming impossible".

A Syrian man drives a home-made toy car through Beit Naim in the Eastern Ghouta on 7 March 2017Image source, AFP
Image caption,

The Eastern Ghouta has been devastated by years of fighting

About 500 people are waiting to be evacuated for life-saving medical care. There are also severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines, and the cold weather threatens to worsen the hardship.

WARNING: Graphic image below

Images of Karim's injuries were first circulated in late November.

But the #SolidarityWithKarim campaign using them to raise awareness about the plight of children trapped in the Eastern Ghouta was only begun last week, external by Amer al-Mohilbany, a freelance photographer.

"The goal of the campaign is to... bring to the world the voice of this baby, who lost his eye and his mother," he told the AFP news agency.

Speaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency - in an article which also includes an image of the extent of Karim's injuries - Karim's father Abu Mohammed said his son needed "constant nursing", external.

[EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts graphic content] A Syrian baby Karim is seen with wounds on his head in the besieged Eastern Ghouta, Syria on 15 December 2017Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Karim's father, four siblings and aunt have taken care of him since his mother's death

You might also like:

  • Putin's Russian mission accomplished

  • 'Chemical attack' prompts social media messages

  • UN rebukes Russia and Iran over Syria

  • Syria's nine-year-old YouTube storyteller

#SolidarityWithKarim has been used more than 26,000 times since Monday.

Photos of Karim have since been shared hundreds of times on different social media platforms.

Many Syrian users have posted photos of themselves covering their left eyes to highlight Karim's suffering.

Members of the Independent Doctors Association (IDA), a Turkey-based non-governmental organisation that operates hospitals in rebel-held Syria, posted a picture of Syrian medics doing so.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by IDA

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by IDA

The Syria Civil Defence, whose rescue workers are commonly known as the White Helmets, also tweeted in support.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by The White Helmets

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by The White Helmets

But Karim's story has also caught the attention of politicians, journalists and activists outside Syria.

Staff at the German newspaper Bild took a group photo to "make a statement" about the ongoing violence in Syria.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by BILD

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by BILD

The campaign reached as far as UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, when the UK's permanent representative Matthew Rycroft mentioned Karim during a session of the Security Council.

"We must stand in solidarity with Karim," he said, calling for an end to the bombardment of the Eastern Ghouta.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 4 by Matthew Rycroft

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 4 by Matthew Rycroft

This is not the first time the plight of a baby has led to a widespread campaign on social media.

Earlier this year, a similar push campaign took place in Yemen, where users shared photos of themselves with one eye closed in solidarity with a young girl injured and orphaned in an air strike by a Saudi-led coalition battling the rebel Houthi movement.

Additional reporting by Georgina Rannard

More on this story

  • UN seeks urgent Syria medical evacuations

    • Published
      30 November 2017
    An injured nine-month-old girl receives medical attention at a field hospital in rebel-held Douma, Syria (26 November 2017)
  • Syrian army 'agrees to East Ghouta truce'

    • Published
      28 November 2017
    Injured people receive care at a field hospital in the Eastern Ghouta, Syria (27 November 2017)
  • Syria army strikes 'kill 23' in rebel area

    • Published
      26 November 2017
    A man stands on the rubble of damaged buildings after an air strike on the rebel-held town of Mesraba in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. Photo: 26 November 2017

Around the BBC

  • Syrian army deserters on why they had to escape the civil war - BBC News

  • ‘I wish I had new shoes and sweets’ - BBC News

  • Syria country profile - BBC News

Top stories

  • Houthis confirm their prime minister killed in Israeli strike

    • Published
      3 hours ago
  • Councils still planning asylum hotel legal action despite Epping ruling

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Russia launches massive attack on Ukraine, as Kyiv hits oil refineries

    • Published
      4 hours ago

More to explore

  • Harry set for UK visit but will he see his father?

    A split image showing the faces of Prince Harry and King Charles. Both wear blue blazers and light shirts.
  • How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

    Two young women one with long brown hair and a grey hoodie and one with blonde hair in a slick back bun and a black leather bomber both holding green iced matcha drinks with straws on a street outside a Blank Street Coffee shop in London
  • Manhunt in Australian bush brings long-dismissed conspiracy theorists to the fore

    Heavily armed police gather at a police staging point during the search for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers, in Porepunkah, Australia.
  • I asked a bus passenger to turn his phone down - he called me miserable

    A man in a white t-shirt and blue denim jacket sits on a bus next to the window and uses his phone. His face is out of the camera shot. Another passenger sat next to him also uses their phone.
  • America's royal wedding? What Taylor and Travis' big day could look like

    A screenshot taken from Instagram showing Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hug each other
  • 'I can't lift a bag into an overhead locker but I climbed K2'

    A smiling woman wearing climbing gear and sunglasses at the top of a mountain, with blue skies and snowy peaks behind her.
  • Julia Roberts: We're losing the art of conversation

    Julia Roberts attends the "After The Hunt" red carpet during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025 in Venice, Italy
  • Meet the three-year-olds helping anxious teens spend more time in school

    A teenage girl and a toddler smiling and talking to each other
  • 'Gringos out!': Mexicans protest against tourists and gentrification

    A man in a black T-shirt and dark sunglasses raises his fist. He's surrounded by other young people
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Houthis confirm their prime minister killed in Israeli strike

  2. 2

    Celebrity peer charged with rape and sexual assault

  3. 3

    British man dies in Benidorm after swim

  4. 4

    Russia launches massive attack on Ukraine, as Kyiv hits oil refineries

  5. 5

    Prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy shot dead in Lviv

  6. 6

    Manhunt in Australian bush brings long-dismissed conspiracy theorists to the fore

  7. 7

    What happens next after Trump tariffs ruled illegal?

  8. 8

    How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

  9. 9

    AI stethoscope could detect major heart conditions in seconds

  10. 10

    'Which one is your real hair?' Why Cardi B's wigs and nails baffled lawyers in court

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rolf Larsen investigates the case of a missing child

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    DNA
  • Comedian Bob Mortimer chooses his desert island tracks

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Desert Island Discs: Bob Mortimer
  • Freddie Mercury: from iconic shots to private snaps

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    A Life in Ten Pictures: Freddie Mercury
  • When an Olympic badminton match caused controversy

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Sporting Witness: Shuttlecock scandal
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.