Did Hamas Behead Babies and Toddlers in Attacks on Israel?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Numerous reports that Hamas beheaded children during its attacks on Israel have circulated this week. Here's what journalists across the spectrum and officials have said.
Initial Reports: An Israeli journalist reported Tuesday that Israeli soldiers found "babies with their heads cut off" after clearing kibbutz Kfar Aza, which Hamas attacked over the weekend. The video has been viewed nearly 12 million times on X as of Thursday morning. Israeli Defense Forces officials initially said they "cannot confirm it officially, but you can assume it happened."
Quotes from Officials: President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he "never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children." A spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that babies had been found "decapitated" in Kfar Aza, and an IDF spokesman said later that day that "we can now say with relative confidence that unfortunately this is what happened."
How the Media Covered It: Left-rated media outlets like CNN and NBC News (both Lean Left bias) highlighted anonymous U.S. government sources who said Biden was citing media reports and hadn't actually seen pictures of Hamas beheading kids. Many left- and center-rated sources framed the reports of beheaded children as unconfirmed. Some right-rated outlets tended to frame the reports as fact-based and focused on IDF comments suggesting the reports were true. Read more about the differences in coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Journalist slams doubts about her reporting of beheaded Israeli children: ‘I wish it wasn’t true’
The international war correspondent who first revealed Hamas’ beheading of Israeli children stood by her reporting Wednesday while recalling some of the atrocities she saw with her “own eyes” as doubts arose on social media.
i24News reporter Nicole Zedeck slammed people who questioned her reporting that 40 babies and young children were slaughtered — with some decapitated — at a kibbutz near the Gaza border on Tuesday.
“I witnessed some of those scenes with my own eyes as we were walking through this community that may be a quarter of a mile...
From the Center
Joe Biden's Hamas Comments Spark Fury After White House Denial: 'Liar!'
President Joe Biden has sparked a backlash after claiming he saw pictures of children who were beheaded during the Hamas attack on Israel.
Hamas militants stormed through a border fence from Gaza early on Saturday morning and killed Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival. They also took dozens of people hostage.
Israel formally declared war on Sunday, and has been launching intense airstrikes on Gaza since. Israel has also cut off electricity and deliveries of food, fuel and other supplies to the long-blockaded enclave of 2.3 million...
From the Left
"Beheaded Babies" Report Spread Wide and Fast, but Israel Military Won't Confirm It
THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES could not confirm a horrific claim that Hamas beheaded babies during a weekend assault, a spokesperson for the military told The Intercept on Tuesday. The claim went viral, becoming a headline-grabbing aspect of a massacre that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead.
“Women, children, toddlers, and elderly were brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action and we are we are [sic] aware of the heinous acts Hamas is capable of,” the spokesperson wrote in response to questions from The Intercept about the viral reports. “We cannot confirm...
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