Hamas Did Not Behead Israeli Babies On October 7 Operation

For over two years, pro-Israel users have widely circulated claims that Hamas beheaded babies and decapitated people during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. Misbar’s team, along with other credible media outlets, has debunked these exaggerated Israeli claims. Despite this, Israeli hasbara continues to perpetuate and amplify the false narrative.

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

At dawn on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. The attack began around 6:30 am with a massive rocket barrage from Gaza. 

Hamas claimed 5,000 rockets, while Israel reported 2,500, followed by an unprecedented ground infiltration. Palestinian fighters breached border fences, arrived by sea and air, and stormed several military bases, including Beit Hanoon, Zikim, and Reim. 

Intense battles broke out across southern Israel as Hamas fighters overran military posts and entered nearby towns such as Sderot, Be’eri, and Ofakim, taking about 200 Israelis captive.

The attack, known as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, marked the start of a devastating war in Gaza, where Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395. Israel killed at least 20,000 children, equivalent to one child killed every hour over the past 24 months, according to Al Jazeera.

Pro-Israel Users Allege Hamas Beheaded Babies During Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

During the commemoration of more than two years since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, pro-Israel users continue to circulate claims that Hamas beheaded babies during the October 7 attacks on the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Several X accounts have recently shared identical posts claiming to have watched “unedited footage of the October 7 attacks,” alleging that Hamas’s Al-Qassam fighters “chopped off heads” and “slaughtered little crying kids.” 

The commentary, which reads, “I have just seen the unedited footage of the October 7th attacks.. What I saw was young men chopping off heads, shooting everything in sight, slaughtering little crying kids calling for their mummy,” has been amplified by Israeli propagandists, garnering millions of views across X platform.

Israeli Reports of Hamas Beheading Babies During October 7 Are Fake

Since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign on Gaza, Israeli propaganda networks have circulated misleading claims and footage alleging that Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades beheaded Israeli babies during the October 7 Operation. Israel used these fabricated narratives to justify the devastating assault on Gaza. 

Misbar’s investigative team has continuously monitored and fact-checked these claims, consistently debunking them to date.

On October 10, 2023, the Israeli i24 News Channel published a report on its English website claiming that Hamas fighters brutally killed 40 Israeli babies, most of them allegedly beheaded, in the Kfar Aza settlement near the Gaza Strip border during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

The outlet shared the report on its X platform account, where it quickly went viral, amassing more than 28 million views until now and being amplified by major media outlets and even by then–U.S. President Joe Biden during a press conference. 

i24 News also published a separate article repeating the same claim. However, Misbar’s fact-checking team confirmed that the report was false. Several reputable media outlets, including NBC News, Le Monde, and CNN, also investigated and debunked the claim after contacting the IOF.

On the first day of the operation, pro-Israel social media accounts widely circulated a video claiming to show Gaza fighters beheading an Israeli boy. Trolls shared the post with hashtags related to Hamas and Israel, accusing Hamas of brutality.

Misbar’s investigation found the claim to be misleading. A thorough reverse image search revealed that the video originated from Syria in 2016, not from Gaza, as alleged.

In the first week of the operation, social media users circulated a video claiming to show Hamas members detaining Israeli children and locking them in cages in Gaza. The footage, which amassed millions of views, fueled hateful and inflammatory comments against Palestinians.

The original publisher debunked the claim and later clarified that the children in the video were his relatives, not Israeli children, and confirmed that the footage was shot three days before the operation.

Israeli social media accounts also circulated a video interview featuring an Israeli army officer who claimed to have witnessed “horrific scenes,” including “a line of murdered Israeli children hanging on a clothesline,” on October 7 Operation. 

Misbar’s team investigated the video, determined that the officer’s account was inaccurate, and prompted its removal after debunking the claim.

Read More

2016 Video of Child Beheading in Syria Shared in Relation to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

Fake Statements by an Israeli Officer Claiming That Hamas Killed Children and Hung Them on Clotheslines