Hamas beheaded 40 babies on October 7.

The "40 beheaded babies" claim originated from unverified accounts given by Israeli soldiers to journalists following the October 7 attack. Before any confirmation, the story spread virally across social media and was repeated by major media outlets and political leaders, including the then U.S. President Joe Biden. Israeli authorities later acknowledged they could not substantiate the allegation, and the White House walked back Biden's claim that he had seen confirming photographs.

Independent investigations by Haaretz, Le Monde, and The Washington Post found no credible evidence supporting the claim. The allegation spread globally before being subjected to basic verification and ultimately collapsed under scrutiny.

The "40 beheaded babies" allegation fits a long-standing pattern in Israeli propaganda that fabricates or distorts events to dehumanize Palestinians and manufacture consent for Israeli atrocities. From 1948 Nakba-era myths to contemporary "human shields" claims, these false narratives have repeatedly been used to justify colonial violence, ethnic cleansing, and now genocide.

The unverified "beheaded babies" story was repeated by governments and major media even after Israeli authorities acknowledged they could not substantiate it. By contrast, documented footage of Palestinian babies burned, dismembered, and decapitated, alongside the killing and injury of more than 50,000 Palestinian children during Israel's genocide in Gaza, has not generated a fraction of the global outrage provoked by an unsubstantiated allegation. That is not an accident. It is how colonial impunity works: well-documented systemic crimes against Palestinians are tolerated, funded, and shielded by many of the same governments and institutions that amplify Israeli propaganda.