Sporting legend Sonny Bill Williams has sparked outrage after he rejected claims of Hamas atrocities in a furious rant online.
The former New Zealand All Blacks rugby union star and two-time NRL premiership winner unleashed in a video that was posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, where he claimed reports that 40 babies were beheaded was 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 against Israel and claimed they were all ‘untrue’.
’40 beheaded babies, proven to be untrue,’ he said.
‘Babies burnt intentionally in their cribs alive, proven to be untrue.’
Around 1200 Israeli’s were killed in the attack launched by the terrorist group with dozens of civilians taken hostage.
The former boxer who was seen 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, proven to be untrue.’
The video links a report to an article published by American broadcaster NBC in October, refuting claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Force that babies had been beheaded.
Williams went on to claim that the only accurate event was the deaths of thousands of Palestinian children and said the conflict had turned into a genocide.
‘But you know what is true? 8000 kids have been killed since October 7.’
‘Look it’s not that complicated. This ain’t a war, this is genocide.’
Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) uploaded a video to X on Thursday saying claims of babies being beheaded and hostages being treated ‘worse than animals’ were false
The sporting icon (pictured left with his wife ) said the conflict in the middle was a ‘genocide’ and not a war
The clip attracted comments from dozens of users who slammed Williams and branded his claims as untrue.
‘I had so much respect for Sonny Bill Williams but he is lying here,’ one user wrote.
‘There is extensive evidence of Hamas systematically using rape as a weapon of war on October 7th.’
‘The issue with Sonny is…he is making comments based on EMOTION and not LOGIC and not accurate truth!’ another user said.
Others chimed in by saying Israel cannot justify attacking innocent civilians in Gaza based on claims Israeli women were sexually assaulted and tortured.
‘It is totally ok to do (sic) genocide based on the raping claims, is it?’ one user wrote.
Israel has since launched a vicious counter offensive against Hamas in Gaza with ground attacks and aerial bombardments in the area killing more than 20,000 Palestinians.
Close to 9000 of the victims are children.
A report by the New York Times published on Thursday revealed Israeli women and children were sexually assaulted and suffered major injuries.
The newspaper claimed sources along with video footage, photo’s and GPS data they reviewed showed Hamas terrorists inflicted the abuse on their victims in several locations when they carried out their attack on October 7.
Israel has since launched a vicious counter offensive against Hamas in Gaza (pictured) since the October 7 attacks that has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians.
Thousands of innocent civilians including children (pictured) have died
It’s not the first time in recent months Williams has caused a stir about his views on the Middle East.
He was accused by the Israel lobby last month of ‘inciting hatred’ after another extraordinary social media post about Israel, describing Israel supporters as ‘Zionist cowards’.
Day earlier, he launched another attack on Israel, claiming the actions of the Jewish state amount to ‘genocide’.
A devout Muslim, Williams has previously sparked controversy with some of his other tweets, including retweeting divisive social media star Andrew Tate.
Williams shot to fame when he burst on the scene in the NRL as a 19-year-old, 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 forged a successful career in rugby union, winning two World Cups and made the switch to boxing as a heavyweight fighter with a professional record of 9 wins and one loss.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Williams for comment.
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