US President Joe Biden, on Wednesday, claimed that he “had seen “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” The Washington Post reported. These were reportedly based on media reports and claims from the spokesperson of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A National Security official, later, walked back those comments. Biden had said, “It matters that Americans see what is happening." "I have been doing this a long time — I never thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children."
A White House official also said that neither Biden nor the administration had seen these images. Biden made the statement after referring to comments by Israeli officials and reports in the media.
Nicole Zedeck, a journalist with Israeli broadcaster i24News on Tuesday was the first to say that babies had been killed in the Israeli kibbutz Kfar Aza. Zedeck later clarified and said that "soldiers told me they believe 40 babies/children were killed."
Later, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Major Nir Dinar told Business Insider that the IDF "can not confirm any numbers," but, children were "brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action." Allegedly, Hamas's Qassam Brigades, "beheaded many Israeli babies".
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, in the meantime said, "Like all Jews, I feel a deep, visceral connection to Israel and its people," NBC News reported. "We witnessed a mass murder of innocent civilians. It was a terrorist assault. There is never any justification for terrorism. There are no two sides to this issue," he said.
