Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Were infants and children among the victims of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in southern Israel?
Executive summary
Available reporting and human-rights tallies say children were among the victims of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel: multiple organizations and news outlets report "children" killed, with specific counts varying by source (e.g., Human Rights Watch cites at least 33 children killed; FactCheck and other outlets report dozens and that about 30 children were taken hostage) [1] [2] [3]. Some individual claims about specific ages or scenes—such as the presence of very young children in particular locations like Be'eri—were later questioned or called into doubt by Israeli media outlets and investigative reporting [4] [5].
1. What mainstream fact-checkers and rights groups reported
Human Rights Watch verified video evidence of killings during the October 7 attacks and cited that many of the roughly 1,400 people killed included civilians "including children," and in separate reporting gave a specific figure of at least 33 children killed in the Hamas-led assault [1] [2]. FactCheck.org examined viral claims denying child deaths and concluded dozens of children did die and that about 30 children were reported taken hostage by Hamas; it described misinformation that circulated on social platforms seeking to erase or minimize child casualties [3].
2. Government and media releases showing child victims
Israeli officials publicly displayed graphic images they attributed to victims of the attacks, and Reuters reported the Israeli government showed images of "dead children and civilians" to international officials as part of its case about the brutality of the assault; Reuters noted it could not independently verify the material it saw [6]. These government-released materials contributed to international awareness and condemnations, but independent verification and the provenance of specific images were treated carefully by some outlets [6].
3. Disputes over particular claims and local details
While overall reporting affirms children were among the victims, some more detailed accounts were contested. Haaretz and other outlets later reported that specific claims—such as ZAKA or other first-responder statements naming children aged 6 or 7 killed in particular places like Kibbutz Be'eri—did not match investigative findings in those localities, prompting confusion about certain individual attributions [4] [5]. In short: sources agree children died, but some granular, location- or age-specific claims were later questioned in Israeli media [4] [5].
4. Scope and scale: why numbers differ across sources
Different tallies and contexts produce different figures. Early counts of total deaths ranged widely (Israel and other outlets cited ~1,200–1,400 total killed), and organizations that compile victims by age or location continued identification work for weeks; compilations by outlets such as The Times of Israel show ongoing effort to catalog babies, children and elderly victims as data emerged [7] [8]. Human-rights organizations and international briefers focused separately on Gaza and Israel child casualties, further complicating headline numbers when readers compare reports [1] [9] [2].
5. Misinformation dynamics and what was debunked
FactCheck.org and other outlets documented viral posts that tried to claim no children had been killed; they labeled those posts false and pointed to documented lists and reporting of child victims as evidence [3]. At the same time, investigative pieces and some Israeli outlets flagged specific inaccuracies in individual accounts (for example, disputed ZAKA testimony about specific children), meaning that while the core fact—that children were killed and kidnapped—is supported, some detailed narrative elements circulating on social media were unreliable or unverifiable [3] [4].
6. What available sources do not mention or resolve
Available sources do not provide a single, definitive, universally agreed list of every child victim with ages and locations that is immune to dispute; they also do not fully resolve every contested media claim about specific individual victims and their circumstances. They do not provide independent verification for every graphic image circulated by officials and advocacy groups, and Reuters explicitly said it could not independently verify some government-shown material [6]. Where Israeli media later corrected or questioned particular on-the-ground claims (e.g., Be'eri ages), that nuance is recorded in those outlets [4] [5].
Conclusion — the balanced view for readers
Reporting from human-rights organizations, fact-checkers, mainstream media and Israeli outlets converge on the central fact that infants and children were among the victims of the October 7 attacks, and that scores of children were killed or taken hostage [1] [2] [3]. However, readers should treat some highly specific social-media claims about individual ages, scenes, or origin of particular images with caution: investigative follow-ups revealed errors in some of those details [4] [5].