General Discussion

Hamas baby beheading hoax

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas_baby_beheading_hoax

The Hamas baby beheading hoax refers to allegations, since refuted, that Hamas killed and beheaded dozens of babies and toddlers during the October 7 attacks which it led in southern Israel in 2023, which constituted the first phase of the Gaza war. The allegations were first made by soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and members of Israeli civilian rescue groups in interviews with local and international journalists.

The hoax was initially endorsed by then-US President Joe Biden, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and some IDF spokespeople, and was then spread credulously by Western media outlets, gaining widespread coverage and, arguably, helping to shape the consensus in favour of war on the Gaza Strip. Similar reports accused Hamas of hanging or slitting the throats of babies and burning others alive, including by stuffing at least one young child into a hot oven.

At times the Israeli government has discreetly admitted that the rumours about the beheaded children are unfounded. The hoax is argued by critics of Israel to be an example of atrocity propaganda and evidence that Israel is waging a "war on truth" during the Gaza war.

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