On the very first days of the war, an information on "40 beheaded babies" surfaced and spread rapidly on media outlets and social networks.
Where did the information first appear?
It first was mentioned by a journalist working for i24.
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
i24NEWS Correspondent @Nicole_Zedek reports from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a quarter-mile from the Gaza border, and recounts the atrocities that were committed in the small community which remains an active scene as soldiers clear booby traps and recover the bodies of dozens of victims pic.twitter.com/J4ZfWZQYHp
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 10, 2023
Fact checking the information
This claim was then seen being retracted by multiple journalists and officials. The example on the right is a tweet by The Independent’s Chief International Correspondent, Bel Trew. On the left is tweet by The Intercept about a report investigating the claim.
“Beheaded babies” report spread wide and fast — but the Israeli military won’t confirm it https://t.co/bBJ3eJqOUH by @alicesperi https://t.co/bBJ3eJqOUH
— The Intercept (@theintercept) October 11, 2023
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
Below is a fact-checking video produced by Al-Jazeera, providing context, main claims, and clarifying the evidence.