White House says Biden’s remark on photos of children was intended to ‘underscore the utter depravity’ of Hamas attack

President Joe Biden’s graphic description of horrors in Israel was intended to “underscore the utter depravity” of the Hamas attack on civilians, the White House says, even if he hadn’t personally viewed or confirmed the imagery he described.

Speaking from the Indian Treaty Room, Biden on Wednesday told a gathering of Jewish leaders: “I’ve been doing this a long time. I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.”

Later on that evening, an administration official told CNN neither Biden nor the administration had seen pictures or confirmed reports of children or infants beheaded by Hamas. The official clarified that the president’s remarks were referring to public comments from media outlets and Israeli officials. Since taking office, Biden has on a number of occasions gone off-script to make comments that later required clarification by his staff, including on Taiwan and Russia.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier Wednesday that babies and toddlers were found “decapitated” in Kfar Aza, Tal Heinrich. CNN could not independently verify that report, and Hamas said media reports about attacking children were false.

On Thursday, Netanyahu showed horrifying photos of babies whose bodies had been burned beyond recognition and a third bloodstained infant’s body to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting Israel.

During a press availability, Blinken became emotional describing seeing the images of the victims of the Hamas attack that “almost defies comprehension.”

“A baby, an infant riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars, or their hideaway rooms,” Blinken said.

“It’s beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine, much less actually see and, God forbid,…