'Massacre' Reported at Kfar Aza Kibbutz in Israel

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Image copyright: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

The Facts

  • The bodies of dozens of Israeli civilians and Hamas fighters have reportedly been found at Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel just east of the border with Gaza. The Israeli military took foreign press through the site of the farming community on Tuesday while soldiers went house to house to take away the deceased.

  • Major General Itai Veruv of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) — who described the scene as a "massacre" — said troops under his command spent "about 48 hours" fighting Hamas militants before finally clearing the area.

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The Spin

Pro-Israel narrative

Hamas terrorists committed unspeakable crimes at the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which reportedly included horrific and ghastly actions against extremely young children. These atrocities fully justify the firm Israeli response in Gaza to conduct operations against Hamas and urgently rescue hostages.

I24news

Pro-Palestine narrative

This tragic violence was incubated after decades of death and destruction imposed on Palestinians by Israel, which made Gaza into a veritable open-air prison. Israel will now impose a fierce "retaliation," which will not be condemned equally — showing the deep hypocrisy of the West and creating a humanitarian cataclysm.

Middle East Eye

Establishment-critical narrative

These reports of beheadings appear to come from a single journalist and have yet to be confirmed by the IDF. That is not to say these actions did not take place, but at these highly charged times, it is paramount to carefully verify the allegations.

Mediaite

Metaculus Prediction

Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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