"Beheaded Babies" Report Proves Israeli Disinformation

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) could not confirm a horrific claim that Hamas beheaded babies during a weekend assault, a spokesperson for the military told The Intercept, even as the claim went viral, becoming a headline-grabbing aspect of a massacre that left more than 1,300 Israelis dead, Alice Speri reported for The Intercept.

Tal Heinrich is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson. I Photo: Tal Heinrich Facebook

“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 it officially, but you can assume it happened and believe the report,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson, Tal Heinrich said.

She repeated it on Wednesday — a window into how unverified reports become part of the historical record and how Israel engages in disinformation.

The claim about beheaded babies is the latest in a series of harrowing reports that have emerged over the last few days while Israeli forces regained control of communities attacked by Hamas militants.

Israeli officials responded by pledging vengeance and launching a mass bombing campaign over 2 million Palestinians living in the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said, “I never really thought that I would see…have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” only for the White House to later clarify that the president had not seen such photos and was basing his remarks on Heinrich’s comments and media reports.

One news outlet had to retract Israeli claims of women being raped after no evidence was shown.

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