Yossi Schwartz, ISL the RCIT section in Israel/ Occupied Palestine, 13.10.2023
There were reports of a deadly onslaught unclosing the chopping of 40 babies allegedly by Hamas militants who devastated Israel’s Kibbutz Kfar Aza, located close to Gaza.
This story appears in many western imperialist newspapers. But as the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus around 550 BC said: “The first casualty of war is the truth”.
This monstrous lie began by a report in I24 channel by an American Zionist Nicole Zedeck who did not show any picture of such beheaded babies. She says in defense of her story that she was told about this killing by two Israeli officers.
“It’s not a war, it’s not a battlefield. You see the babies, the mother, the father, in their bedrooms, in their protection rooms, and how the terrorists killed them. It’s a massacre,” IDF Maj. Gen. Itai Veruv told the outlet at the time the bodies were discovered” [1] [2]
“They chopped heads of children and women,” says David Ben Zion, Deputy Commander of Unit 71 to our @Nicole_Zedek, while reporting from the massacre in Kfar Aza in southern Israel’ [3]
From Reuters:
“The video shown to NATO, apparently taken from a mix of social media published by Hamas and unidentified phone videos, showed the bodies of scores of dead civilians, as well as the body of an Israeli soldier in uniform with his head missing.
There were no images to suggest militants had beheaded babies — a particularly explosive accusation that first emerged in Israel’s media and initially confirmed by Israeli officials.” [4]
“Despite international journalists and news agencies debunking allegations that Palestinian resistance group Hamas “beheaded babies” in Israel, the claim continued to make headlines on Wednesday in Israeli and Western media, receiving millions of social media views.
Hours after Nicole Zedk appeared, Anadolu reporters contacted the Israeli military over the phone to ask about the claims, with their spokesperson unit saying: “We have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that.”
Following Anadolu’s reporting on the allegations, some international journalists posted on X confirming that the claim was untrue, showing how the misinformation propagates through social media.
Even as thousands of people have been killed in the conflict between the Israeli army and Gaza-based Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the disinformation front of the conflict persists on social media.
Israeli news channel i24 alleged on Tuesday morning that the Al-Qassam Brigades “beheaded many Israeli babies” during an early-Saturday attack from the Gaza Strip.
The i24 reporter who first made the allegation took to the X, saying “soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed.”
Hours later, Anadolu contacted the Israeli military over the phone to ask about the claims, with their spokesperson unit saying: “We have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that.”
Following Anadolu’s reporting on the allegations, some international journalists posted on X confirming that the claim was untrue, showing how the misinformation propagates through social media.
“A French reporter based in Jerusalem, Samuel Forey, said on X that he was in the Kfar Aza settlement, located less than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from northeastern Gaza, on Tuesday but no one had mentioned the alleged decapitations”.
“Aren Ziv, an Israeli photojournalist, likewise said he saw no evidence of beheaded infants, while neither the Israeli army nor spokesperson also did not mention any such incidents”.
“Almost a dozen British newspapers — including The Times, Metro, The i, Daily Express, The Scotsman, and Financial Times — have run stories on their front pages Wednesday, citing the i24 claims”. [5]
Reports that the Israeli army refused to verify the claim surfaced on the web Tuesday afternoon, giving these newspapers time to check their sources and confirm their authenticity before printing but why would these imperialist reporters care about the truth.
“There is no proof Palestinian fighters ‘beheaded’ babies. The only source is a radical settler” [6]
“British-Iraqi activist Kareem Dennis of MintPress News, an independent US-based watchdog journalism organization, claimed that i24 “has employed at least 35 veterans of the Israeli occupation forces as staff” [7]
This is a similar to the allegation of rape by Hamas:
“Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times removed references to rape from a column published Monday, adding a note that said “such reports have not been substantiated.” And when NBC News posted a video of Netanyahu stating that women had been raped, it superimposed a disclaimer stating that it had not confirmed his assertion.” [8]
He then went on to list various names and their ties to the Israeli military.
“Channa Rifkin is an i24News correspondent who transitioned from the channel’s Social Media editor to the Israeli military, then returned to work for i24News.”
“David Matlin, the host of a daily flagship show on i24News, is a former Israeli military sergeant and the regional director for Israel lobby group AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).” Matlin is also a founding member of the channel.
“Eyal Pinko, who was the head of intelligence in the Israeli Navy before becoming the head of division in the Israeli prime minister’s office, is another correspondent for the channel,” Dennis said in the X thread.
He also mentioned Daniel Tsemach, a former i24 journalist who joined the channel after serving as a social media manager for the Israeli military. Tsemach recently left his position at i24 to join Israel’s state-owned defense company, Rafael. [9]
In addition, the Israel Today daily has a list of those who were killed by Hamas mostly of the Zionist armed forces and no baby picture or name appear in this list. Jerusalem Post has a similar list but only of the Zionist armed forces. No baby appears on this list.
So, the real question is why Netanyahu wanted this horrible fabrication? This is not difficult to understand. He wanted a unity government with the opposition and an end to the demonstrations against him. In addition, he wants to carry out genocide of the people of Gaza and to remove the survivors to Egypt that will remove them to Sinai desert. In addition, he probably wants to drag the USA to a war against Iran.
Those idiots who believe that Biden will force Israel to agree to a Palestinian state are in shock. Not only did he send military ships and powerful ammunition to Israel but: US President Joe Biden said he saw “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children”, confirming the reports of a deadly onslaught allegedly by Hamas militants who devastated Israel’s Kibbutz Kfar Aza, located close to Gaza. “It is important for Americans to see what is happening. I have been doing this for a long time. I never thought that I would see… have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” Biden said during remarks to US Jewish community leaders at a White House roundtable. [10]
It is not difficult to understand why he lies. Elections and he wants to capture the right-wing public in the USA.
Down with Israel and the USA!
Defend Hamas!
For a Hamas victory without giving them political support!
For a Palestine red and free from the river to the sea!
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.outkick.com/hamas-nicole-zedek-babies-beheaded-israeli-critics-response/
[2] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/despite-refutations-from-israeli-military-headlines-that-hamas-beheaded-babies-persist/3016167
[3] Ibid
[4] https://www.reuters.com/world/nato-ministers-shown-horrific-video-hamas-attack-2023-10-12/
[5] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/despite-refutations-from-israeli-military-headlines-that-hamas-beheaded-babies-persist/3016167
[6] https://mondoweiss.net/2023/10/there-is-no-proof-palestinian-fighters-beheaded-babies-the-only-source-is-a-radical-settler/
[7] https://forward.com/news/564318/sexual-assault-rape-proof-hamas-idf-israel-gaza/
[8] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/despite-refutations-from-israeli-military-headlines-that-hamas-beheaded-babies-persist/3016167
[9] Ibid
[10] https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-says-he-saw-evidence-of-hamas-beheading-israeli-children-645631