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Destroyed houses are seen in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP)
Editor’s note, Nov. 14, 2023: A few weeks after we published this Oct. 20 story (Headline: Israel-Hamas war: How politicians, media outlets amplified uncorroborated report of beheaded babies), we learned that we neglected some available information that would have shaped our reporting differently. We are reviewing the additional information and plan to publish a new story about the reports of beheaded babies after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Rather than leave the original version online, we have archived it in English and Spanish as we complete the review. PolitiFact goes to great lengths to provide accurate and comprehensive reports. When we fall short of our standard, we want to clarify the record thoroughly and transparently.
Update, Nov. 21, 2023: We have published a new story and editor's note.
Our Sources
Interview with Dina Sadek, Mideast research fellow for the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, Oct. 18, 2023
Email interview with Osamah Khalil, Syracuse University history professor specializing in the modern Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, Oct. 12, 2023
Email exchange with a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Oct. 12, 2023
PolitiFact, "Amid images and news of actual war, false and misleading claims about Israel-Hamas thrive," Oct. 11, 2023
The Washington Post, "Israel-Gaza War Live Updates," Oct. 18, 2023
The Washington Post, "What is Islamic Jihad, the group Israel blames for Gaza hospital strike?," Oct. 19, 2023
The Associated Press, "Israel-Hamas war live updates," Oct. 19, 2023
Euronews, "How children are used to spread disinformation about the Israel-Hamas War," Oct. 17, 2023
NBC News, "Unverified reports of ‘40 babies beheaded’ in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media," Oct. 12, 2023
CNN, "Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack," Oct. 12, 2023
The Intercept, ""Beheaded Babies" Report Spread Wide and Fast — but Israel Military Won't Confirm It," Oct. 11, 2023
CNN, "Babies and toddlers were found with "heads decapitated" in Kfar Aza, Netanyahu spokesperson says," Oct. 11, 2023
NBC News, "White House clarifies Biden's claim he saw photos of terrorists beheading children in Israel-Hamas war," Oct. 11, 2023
YouTube, "Did Hamas behead babies? | Al Jazeera Fact Check," Oct. 16, 2023
BBC News, Inside Kfar Aza where Hamas militants killed families in their homes," Oct. 11, 2023
ABC News, "The 'horrendous toll' on children caught in the Israel-Gaza conflict," Oct. 11, 2023
The New York Times, "Hamas Leaves Trail of Terror in Israel," Oct. 18, 2023
NBC News, "2 Americans held by Hamas have been released," Oct. 20, 2023
Vox, "Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel, explained," Oct. 10, 2023
Vox, "Don't believe everything you see and hear about Israel and Palestine," Oct. 18, 2023
The Jerusalem Post, "Photos of babies being burnt, decapitated confirmed," Oct. 12, 2023
The Independent, "Kfar Aza: Inside the Israeli border village where ‘babies were slaughtered’ in Hamas attack," Oct. 11, 2023
The Daily Mail, "Hamas terrorists 'beheaded babies during kibbutz slaughter where 40 young children were killed': IDF soldiers reveal families were killed in their bedrooms - 'not in war, not a battlefield... a massacre'," Oct. 10, 2023
i24 News, "Smells Of Death Here': Surveying The Scenes Of Atrocities In Kfar Aza," Oct. 10, 2023
YouTube, "Secretary Blinken holds a press availability in Tel Aviv, Israel," Oct. 12, 2023
State Department, "Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Press Availability," Oct. 12, 2023
State Department, "Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu After Their Meeting," Oct. 12, 2023
YouTube, "Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre," Oct. 12, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, "X post," Oct. 12, 2023
Digital Forensic Research Lab, "In Israel-Hamas conflict, social media become tools of propaganda and disinformation," Oct. 12, 2023
Digital Forensic Research Lab, "Network of South Asian Twitter accounts spreading Israel-Palestine war disinfo," Oct. 18, 2023
YouTube, "President Biden Delivers Remarks," Oct. 18, 2023
The White House, Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel Before Bilateral Meeting | Tel Aviv, Israel," Oct. 18, 2023
Full Fact, "Video of children in cages predates Hamas attack on Israel," Oct. 17, 2023
Oren Ziv, X post, Oct. 11, 2023
Samuel Forey, X post, Oct. 11, 2023
Marc Owen Jones, X post, Oct. 11, 2023
Nicole Zedeck, X post, Oct. 10, 2023
Nicole Zedeck, X post, Oct. 10, 2023
Ted Deutch, "X post," Oct. 10, 2023
Facebook video, Oct. 12, 2023
Facebook post, Oct. 13, 2023
Instagram post, Oct. 13, 2023
Instagram post, Oct. 10, 2023
TikTok video, Oct. 10, 2023
