US officials have retracted their assertions that President Joe Biden saw “confirmed pictures” of Palestinian terrorists “beheading children” in Israel, admitting that he had not seen any images and was simply relaying accusations from the Israeli government and media sources.
While Biden stated to Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he was outraged by photos portraying horrible deeds against Israeli newborns, a White House representative later informed the Washington Post that authorities were unaware of the photos the president claimed to have seen. Despite Biden’s claim of seeing “confirmed” photographs, they emphasised that they had no independent confirmation of accusations that children were beheaded during a Hamas strike on Israel last weekend.
“The president based his comments about the alleged atrocities on the claims from [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s spokesman and media reports from Israel,” the Post reported, citing the White House.
When The Intercept inquired about the claim, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated that it could not “confirm it officially,” but that “you can assume it happened and believe the report.”
“Women, children, toddlers, and elderly were brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action and we are aware of the heinous acts Hamas is capable of,” a spokeswoman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the
Following the unexpected attack by Palestinian armed groups last Saturday, a number of similar charges have surfaced, including claims that fighters raped Israeli women. Earlier this week, Biden echoed the allegations, stating that women had been “raped, assaulted, and paraded as trophies.” The charge is equally unsubstantiated, with the Los Angeles Times adding an editor’s note to a story about it.
In reprisal for the Hamas-led onslaught, the IDF has conducted waves of airstrikes on Gaza, striking civilian neighbourhoods and levelling entire apartment buildings in some attacks. According to local officials, around 1,200 people have been murdered in Israel since Saturday, with at least 1,100 slain in Gaza, while over 5,000 people have been reported injured. Israel has strengthened its long-standing blockade of Gaza in recent days, declaring a “complete siege” to restrict the passage of food, fuel, and medication into the densely populated area.
