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Hamas beheading incidents

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 11 min

In 2023, Hamas employed decapitations of Israeli and foreign civilians and Israeli soldiers in multiple locations during its October 2023 attack on Southern Israel.

Beheading of Israeli soldiers was specifically mentioned by Israeli Prime Minister's government in statements shortly following the Hamas attack.[1] Released Hamas footage showed multiple beheaded bodies of Israeli soldiers on October 7th. Upon later investigation of bodies in the civilian villages, Hamas was also accused of gruesome executions of civilians including cutting babies' heads. On October 16, a senior Israeli officer told a small group of journalists "You won't see rape, there's no rape in this video... We won't show you beheaded babies", saying such images existed but would not be shown.[2] Though Hamas did issue multiple statements on denial of atrocities during its October 7th attack on Israel, the group mainly tried to reject allegations of targeting civilians (including torture and decapitations), but didn't specifically reject claims of decapitating soldiers.

The beheadings during the October 2023 attack, along with other atrocities by Hamas, received wide coverage around the world and attracted international condemnation.

Background[edit]

Hamas public statements on ISIL beheadings[edit]

In February 2015, Hamas issued a condemnation of the Islamic State group (ISIL) for their beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya, referring to it as an "ugly crime."[3]

Previous beheading incidents involving Palestinians[edit]

The Itamar attack was a terrorist attack on an Israeli family in the Israeli settlement of Itamar in the West Bank that took place on 11 March 2011, in which five members of the same family were murdered in their beds. The victims were the father Ehud (Udi) Fogel, the mother Ruth Fogel, and three of their six children—Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and Hadas, the youngest, a three-month-old infant. The infant was decapitated.[4] The settlement of Itamar had been the target of several murderous attacks before these killings.[5] The attack was carried out by cousins Amjad Mahmad Awad (18) and Hakim Mazen Awad (17).[6]

7 October attack on Israel[edit]

During the Kfar Aza massacre, the Hamas attackers, described as highly aggressive, killed families, including babies, with some victims suffering decapitations. According to the the Israeli army Deputy Commander of Unit 71 "They killed them and cut some of their heads, it's a dreadful thing to see… and we must remember who is the enemy, and what our mission is, [for] justice where there is a right side and all the world needs to be behind us."[7]

Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, several sources published information on multiple cases of beheading children and babies in Israeli villages - specifically in Kfar Aza. It was stated that photos of babies being burnt, decapitated were confirmed and that The photos were shown to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Israel.[8] The exact number of infant beheading incidents became a matter of controversy,[9] with numbers ranging from single beheading cases to as many as 40. Following initial publications, a doubt was raised whether the number of decapitated children could be 40 or whether the actual number is lower as no photographic evidence was presented,[9] though some eyewitness accounts of beheaded babies were recorded.[10]

On October 16, a senior Israeli officer told a small group of journalists "You won't see rape, there's no rape in this video... We won't show you beheaded babies", saying such images existed but would not be shown.[2] On October 27, a senior Israeli army officer said that he had found the body of a decapitated baby in one of the kibbutz communities attacked by Hamas on October 7.[11]

Decapitations evidence[edit]

Israeli government released still images showed a decapitated soldier, charred human remains (including those of young children), and Islamic State flags found among the militants.

International response[edit]

On October 11th, US President Biden issued a statement: “I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children”, as part of broader remarks about his administration’s support for Israel amid its war with Hamas and efforts to free American hostages.[12]

False reports[edit]

Main article: Killing of Shani Louk

Shani Louk, a German-Israeli citizen, was killed by Hamas during the Re'im music festival massacre. Hamas then paraded her body in the streets of Gaza City.[13][14] While her body has not been found,[15][16] forensic examiners found a small piece of her skull at the festival site, by which they were able to confirm her death.[17][18][14]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated for the German tabloid Bild that Louk had been "decapitated";[19] his spokesperson corrected this, saying that "the fact that a significant part of her skull was found triggered fears that she had been decapitated."[20][21] Regardless, the false report spread on social media and was repeated in several German politicians' statements.[21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Israel's Netanyahu says Hamas militants beheaded soldiers, raped women in their attack on Israel". PBS NewsHour. 11 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The horror as Israeli authorities show footage of Hamas atrocities: Reporter's Notebook". ABC News.
  3. ^ "Hamas condemns ISIS for 'distorting the image of Islam' with beheading of Egyptian Christians". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 16 February 2015.
  4. ^ Bagshawe, Louise (24 March 2011). "A family slaughtered in Israel – doesn't the BBC care?". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  5. ^ Cohen, Gili (13 March 2011). "Itamar settlement has been a prime target for terror". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Israel does not mistreat detained Palestinian children". The Guardian. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Inside Kfar Aza where Hamas militants killed families in their homes". BBC News. 10 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Photos of babies being burnt, decapitated confirmed". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Unverified reports of '40 babies beheaded' in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media". NBC News. 12 October 2023.
  10. ^ "What We Know and Don't Know About Hamas' Alleged Atrocities in Israel". Yahoo News. 18 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Israeli officer says he found baby beheaded in Hamas attack". France 24. 27 October 2023.
  12. ^ "White House clarifies Biden's claim he saw photos of terrorists beheading children in Israel-Hamas war". NBC News. 12 October 2023.
  13. ^ Cloud, David S.; Peled, Anat (4 November 2023). "Identifying Hamas' Victims Takes a Toll --- Forensic specialists race to provide closure for family members after massacre". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 2885727951.
  14. ^ a b Bubola, Emma; Sobelman, Gabby; Boxerman, Aaron (30 October 2023). "Shani Louk, Believed Kidnapped, Was Likely Dead When She Was Taken by Hamas, Family Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Nahost aktuell: Vermisste Deutsch-Israelin Shani Louk tot – DW – 30.10.2023". Deutsche Welle (in German). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  16. ^ Armstrong, Julia (30 October 2023). "Shani Louk: Woman missing after Hamas attack is dead, says mother". BBC News.
  17. ^ Cloud, David S.; Peled, Anat (3 November 2023). "Israel's Quest to Identify Every Victim of Hamas Leaves Scientists Exhausted, Traumatized". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 November 2023. Among more than 700 victims identified so far was Shani Louk, 22, a German-Israeli who was declared dead Saturday after a small fragment of her skull recovered in southern Israel yielded a DNA profile that matched one her family provided, officials said. Israeli authorities believe she was killed before her still-missing body was taken to Gaza by attackers.
  18. ^ Lynch, Cordelia (31 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas war: Brother of Hamas victim seen in 'brutal' video says she was 'pure angel'". Sky News. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Herzog says German-Israeli Shani Louk found beheaded after being taken to Gaza". i24NEWS. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  20. ^ Kitzler, Jan-Christoph (30 October 2023). "Nach Hamas-Überfall: Deutsch-Israelin Shani Louk ist tot". Tagesschau (in German). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Die schrecklichen Lügen über den Tod von Shani Louk - sie starb brutal in den Fängen der Hamas!". RTL Online (in German). 4 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
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