Oren Oziv, a journalist based in "Israel" and part of the group of journalists who were admitted into a media tour of the "Kfar Aza" settlement, denied reports of "Hamas beheading children." 

2/5 During the tour, journalists were allowed to speak to the hundreds of soldiers on site, without the supervision of the army's spokesperson team. I24 reporter said she heard it “from soldiers”. pic.twitter.com/IgHL8SBy8A

— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) October 11, 2023

"During the tour, we didn’t see any evidence of this, and the army spokesperson or commanders also didn’t mention any such incidents," Oren Ziv said in a post on X. 

So this story has been retracted by the LA Times and the Israeli army has officially disowned it.

Perhaps it’s time to question the other propaganda set pieces Israel has deployed to falsely paint itself as the victim and drag the West deeper into its war of extermination. https://t.co/rJYgfZJyx9

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) October 11, 2023

Similarly, a correspondent of The Independent, Bel Trew, disowned the narrative in a post on X. 

"I just wanted to clarify that I did not tweet 40 babies had been beheaded. I tweeted that foreign media had been told women and children had been decapitated but we had not been shown bodies - which was my response to reports which had gone viral about the 40 babies. I realized the way my tweet was written was too short to explain the full context, so I deleted it. My headline of my story references that toddlers were killed."

I just wanted to clarify that I did not tweet 40 babies had been beheaded. I tweeted that foreign media had been told women and children had been decapitated but we had not been shown bodies - which was my response to reports which had gone viral about the 40 babies. I realised… pic.twitter.com/RMYBSJ8BhL

— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) October 11, 2023

Hamas denies fabricated media narratives

Furthermore, Hamas issued a statement in this regard: stating that they "deny the fabricated media narratives [circulating about the faction], the latest of which is the allegation that the resistance killed and beheaded children." 

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"The baseless allegations promoted by some Western media outlets unprofessionally adopt the Zionist narrative which is full of lies," they added. 

Read more: Al Mayadeen statement on disinformation attributed to the network

Yesterday, an IOF spokesperson told Anadolu Agency that the Israelis have no information regarding "Hamas beheading babies." 

The fake report went viral in Western media outlets and by officials who sought to defame the Palestinian Resistance by reporting on unverified information provided by i24 TV correspondent.

The correspondent in question is Nicole Zedeck. She was a part of the IOF unit that had been dispatched to the "Kfar Aza" kibbutz where fierce confrontations took place between Palestinian Resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces and settlers since Saturday morning.

During her coverage, Zedeck claimed that the unit's commander informed her that 40 dead babies had been found in "Kfar Aza", some of which had been "beheaded by terrorists", in reference to Palestinian Resistance fighters that crossed over the separation wall from Gaza to confront the Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers.

Read more: Israeli media: Netanyahu gov. gambles with lives of Israeli captives

Zedeck then posted on X saying, "Soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed."

She did not, however, present any evidence on what she was claiming, nor did she present a reliable source, as the source itself, which is Israeli soldiers, did not actually admit to seeing the alleged massacre. 

Thus, what Zedeck presented as a given fact, was mere hearsay propagated with the absolute intention to condemn the Palestinian resistance and justify the brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. 

Soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed. The exact death toll is still unknown as the military continues to go house to house and find more Israeli casualties. https://t.co/PEGSFXgb9x

— Nicole Zedeck (@Nicole_Zedek) October 10, 2023

Read more: Israeli deaths exceed 1,200 amid public frustration