Israel cannot confirm Hamas beheaded babies

(Patria) - The Israeli government has not confirmed the specific claim that Hamas attackers beheaded babies during their shocking attack on Saturday, an Israeli official told CNN, which is contrary to a previous public statement by the Prime Minister's office.

“There were cases of Hamas militants carrying out beheadings and other ISIS-style atrocities. However, we cannot confirm whether the victims were men or women, soldiers or civilians, adults or children,” the official said.

Shocking claims that children were beheaded appeared on Tuesday in the Israeli media. The Israeli Defense Forces later described the scene as a "massacre" in a statement to CNN. Women, small children, and the elderly were "brutally massacred in the style of ISIS," the IDF stated.

Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday that babies and small children were found with "severed heads" in Kfar Aza.

A US administration official also clarified to CNN that neither Biden nor his associates had seen images or received confirmed reports of children or infants being beheaded by Hamas. The official clarified that Biden was referring to public comments by the media and Israeli officials.