Sonny Bill Williams makes controversial Hamas claim, sparking heated debate
Sports legend Sonny Bill Williams has sparked outrage after dismissing claims of Hamas atrocities in an angry online tirade.
The former New Zealand All Blacks rugby union star and two-time NRL premiership winner unleashed this in a video posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, where he claimed reports that 40 babies had been beheaded were untrue .
He also disputed claims that hostages have been treated “worse than animals” by Hamas.
Williams listed a series of atrocities committed by Hamas in the aftermath of their October 7 attack on Israel, claiming they were all “not true.”
“40 decapitated babies, which has been proven not to be true,” he said.
“Babies deliberately burned alive in their cribs, which has proven not to be true.”
About 1,200 Israelis were killed in the terrorist group's attack, which took dozens of civilians hostage.
The former boxer who appeared in the video wearing a Keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern head covering and black clothing, also dismissed the treatment of hostages by Hamas militants.
'Hostages treated worse than animals and raped, which has proven not to be true.'
The video links a report to an article published by US broadcaster NBC in October refuting claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military that babies had been beheaded.
Williams further claimed that the only accurate event was the death of thousands of Palestinian children and said the conflict had turned into a genocide.
'But you know what's true? Since October 7, 8,000 children have been murdered.”
'Look, it's not that complicated. This is not war, this is genocide.'
Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) uploaded a video to X on Thursday saying claims that babies were beheaded and hostages treated 'worse than animals' were false
The sports icon (pictured left with his wife) said the conflict at the center was a 'genocide' and not a war
The clip received comments from dozens of users who disapproved of Williams and labeled his claims as untrue.
“I had so much respect for Sonny Bill Williams, but he's lying here,” one user wrote.
“There is extensive evidence that Hamas systematically used rape as a weapon of war on October 7.”
“The problem with Sonny is…he makes comments that are based on EMOTION and not LOGIC and not the right truth!” said another user.
Others agreed, saying Israel cannot justify attacking innocent civilians in Gaza based on claims that Israeli women have been sexually abused and tortured.
“It's totally okay to commit (sic) genocide based on the rape claims, right?” wrote one user.
Israel has since launched a brutal counter-offensive against Hamas in Gaza, with ground attacks and aerial bombardments in the area, killing more than 20,000 Palestinians.
Nearly 9,000 of the victims are children.
A New York Times report published Thursday found that Israeli women and children were sexually assaulted and suffered serious injuries.
The newspaper claimed that sources, along with video footage, photographs and GPS data they reviewed, showed that Hamas terrorists had abused their victims in several locations when they carried out their attack on October 7.
Israel has since launched a brutal counter-offensive against Hamas in Gaza (pictured) since the October 7 attacks that killed more than 20,000 Palestinians.
Thousands of innocent civilians, including children (photo), have died
It is not the first time in recent months that Williams has caused controversy over his views on the Middle East.
He was accused by the Israel lobby last month of “incitement to hatred” after another extraordinary social media post about Israel, in which supporters of Israel were described as “Zionist cowards.”
A day earlier, he launched a new attack on Israel, claiming that the Jewish state's actions amounted to “genocide.”
Williams, a devout Muslim, has previously sparked controversy with some of his other tweets, including retweeting divisive social media star Andrew Tate.
Williams rose to fame when he burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old in the NRL, making his debut for the Canterbury Bulldogs.
He won two premierships as an NRL player with the Bulldogs in 2004 and the Sydney Roosters in 2013.
He also built a successful career in rugby union, winning two World Cups and transitioning to boxing as a heavyweight fighter with a professional record of 9 wins and one loss.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Williams for comment.