President Joe Biden has not seen any “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” as he claimed he did during a Wednesday address, the White House told The Washington Post.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday they had found roughly 40 murdered babies, some of which were beheaded, during Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. The White House walked back claims Biden had seen confirmed pictures of such events, saying neither the president nor any U.S. official had seen such images or corroborated them, according to The Washington Post. (RELATED: At Least 25 Americans Dead Following Hamas Attack On Israel)
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Biden said. “I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.”
Biden made the comments about reports that Hamas terrorists had performed such acts on children, which have come from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman and media reports from Israel, a White House spokesperson told The Washington Post.
Soldiers carry the coffin of Dor Yarhi, who was killed in a battle with Palestinian militants near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip during his funeral on October 12, 2023 in Rishon Lezion, Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
“About 40 babies were taken out on gurneys. … Cribs overturned, strollers left behind, doors left wide open,” i24NEWS reporter Nicole Zedeck reported on air, referring to her conversations with the soldiers. “Babies, their heads cut off, that’s what they said.”
IDF has found “butchered” bodies and beheaded children, IDF spokesperson Maj. Libby Weiss reported to CBS News.
“We see blood spread out in homes,” Weiss told the outlet. “We’ve found bodies of people who have been butchered. The depravity of it is haunting.”
Hamas’ attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday killed at least 1,200 people in Israel with more than 2,700 wounded, The Washington Post reported. At least 25 Americans have been reported dead in the attack, and Biden confirmed there are Americans being held hostage, though it remains unclear exactly how many are being held.