Israeli military refutes unverified claim of Hamas beheading infants

In the wake of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted on Saturday, the Israeli military has categorically denied having substantiated any of the shocking allegations that Hamas fighters beheaded infants in the Kfar Aza kibbutz region. This highly controversial claim had widely circulated across social media channels and even found its way into some mainstream news outlets.

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The contentious assertion first surfaced on Tuesday when a video was shared via the official Israeli government’s social media account, @Israel, featuring a report by i24NEWS journalist Nicole Zedek, highlighting the situation in the Kfar Aza kibbutz. The accompanying caption alleged, “40 infants murdered.”

'About 40 babies were taken out on gurneys… Cribs overturned, strollers left behind, doors left wide open'

Our correspondent @Nicole_Zedek continues to survey the horror scenes left behind in Kibbutz Kfar Aza where Hamas invaded and murdered dozens of Israelis in their homes pic.twitter.com/ZZCwDGkV8z

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 10, 2023

In a separate video report, Zedek stated, “The extent of the horrors here is beyond imagination, with soldiers recounting unimaginable atrocities.”

Several prominent news sources, including CBS and the Times of India, also ran stories detailing the alleged beheadings of more than three dozen infants. CBS cited Major Libby Weiss, the spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces, reporting that multiple Israeli soldiers had discovered “beheaded children of various ages, from newborns to slightly older children,” along with dismembered adults in the Kfar Aza area.

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However, Anadolu Agency later quoted an Israeli military spokesperson, who remaining unidentified, clarifying that they had no concrete confirmation of these accusations. The spokesperson’s identity was not disclosed, leaving it unclear whether this statement represented a departure from Major Weiss’s earlier comments or if Major Weiss herself had retracted her previous claims.

The anonymous spokesperson emphasized, “We have observed these reports, but we lack specific details or any verified information to support them.”

https://twitter.com/OrenZiv_/status/1712038436910055925

Israeli journalist Oren Ziv, affiliated with the independent news outlet 972 mag, also weighed in on the matter, asserting, “During our site visit [to the attack scene], we failed to identify any evidence substantiating these allegations of infant beheadings. Neither the military spokespersons nor the commanders mentioned any such incidents during our interactions.”