President Biden said Wednesday that he has seen “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children” in southern Israel — following initial reports that up to 40 babies were butchered over the weekend in homes near the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
“I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children. I never thought I’d ever — anyway,” Biden, 80, told leaders of Jewish groups at the White House.
The sickening reports emerged Tuesday as the Israeli military offered journalists tours of areas ravaged by Hamas’ Saturday morning surprise attack, which left more than 1,200 civilians and Israeli troops dead and about 150 believed abducted — with at least 22 Americans dead and 17 others still unaccounted for.
A senior White House national security aide told reporters immediately following the event that he had not seen the images to which Biden was referring.
President Biden said Wednesday that he has seen “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children” in southern Israel.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces separately told The Intercept on Wednesday that “we cannot confirm it officially, but you can assume it happened and believe the report.”
Meanwhile, Yossi Landau, an official with Israel’s volunteer civilian emergency response organization Zaka, told CBS News he personally saw the bodies of children and babies who were beheaded.
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“I saw a lot more that cannot be described for now, because it’s very hard to describe,” he said.
Nicole Zedek, a TV reporter for Tel Aviv-based i24NEWS, first reported the child beheading allegations Tuesday and said in a radio interview Wednesday that she’s appalled by initial public skepticism.
“I mean, babies’ heads cut off. That’s what they encountered when they came there. So as horrible as it is and and I wish that I it wasn’t true,” Zedek said.
Police officers carry a body bag as they find a dead body in a car after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Sderot, Israel o
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A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces separately told The Intercept on Wednesday that “we cannot confirm it officially, but you can assume it happened and believe the report.”
ZUMAPRESS.com
A revolting image circulated online by the IDF on Wednesday depicted an Israeli child’s blood-stained mattress with a streak of blood spatter on the wall and a gush of red coating the footboard.
Biden said he wouldn’t take any questions from reporters at the event — but pre-emptively answered one he said that he expected to be shouted about his efforts to bring home the unknown number of US captives taken to Gaza.
“If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home,” Biden said.
Over 1,200 Israelis are dead, more than 3,000 are wounded and at least 100 were taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Hamas terrorists were seen taking female hostages and parading them down the street in horrifying videos.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report at least 1,050 Palestinians have been killed more than 5,000 injured.
“Folks, there’s a lot we’re doing … I haven’t given up hope of bringing these folks home.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at the regular White House briefing Wednesday that the number of Americans who “we believe is held hostage is very small — is very small, like less than a handful. But that could change over time.”
Biden has ducked press questions in other venues since Hamas’ stunning attack on Israel. He is facing mounting bipartisan calls from Congress to reverse his decision to authorize the release of $6 billion to Iran, which reportedly helped plot the attack.