Gaza, Oct 11 (EFE).- Hamas refuted Israel’s claims on Wednesday that the Islamist group had killed children and beheaded civilians during its multi-pronged assault, which ignited a violent conflict with the Israeli military, resulting in thousands of casualties.
In a statement, the group “firmly” rejected the accusations as an Israeli propaganda allegedly “fabricated and disseminated by certain Western media outlets that uphold the Zionist narrative.” The statement defended their audacious attack on Israel by stating that they had only attacked the Israeli military and security apparatus, which they deemed a legitimate target.
The response from Hamas followed the Israeli military’s condemnation, which accused the militants of killing “women, children, babies, and the elderly in a manner reminiscent of the Islamic State” during the attack on the Jewish communal settlement Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson told EFE Tuesday that “approximately 40 children, including babies,” were among the massacred in the community of 750 inhabitants.
While the Israeli army facilitated a visit for foreign journalists to the kibbutz, where some soldiers told reporters that militants had killed several residents, there has been no official confirmation regarding any victims being beheaded.
Medical sources said they found charred bodies.
An Israeli paramedic reported that after the military repelled the militants and regained control of the nearby Kibbutz Beeri community, they encountered piles of burned bodies, dozens mutilated, and several corpses of sexually assaulted women.
The ongoing conflict, now in its fifth day, has resulted in at least 1,200 deaths in Israel and over 2,900 injuries. On the Gaza side, the Palestinian health ministry has reported 1,055 deaths resulting from Israeli retaliatory bombings and at least 5,000 injuries.
Additionally, the Israeli army has stated that it has eliminated hundreds of Palestinian militants within Israeli territory in confrontations with security forces after they infiltrated from Gaza.
Moreover, the Israeli government has claimed that over 100 people have been abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza as hostages. EFE
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