'We cry for all children just as for our own': Israel on Badaun killings

New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Israel said on Thursday that it is completely devastated by the information unraveling about the brutal killing of two young brothers in Uttar Pradesh and called the incident "heartbreaking".

The children, aged 13 and six, were allegedly hacked to death by a local barber as they were playing on the terrace of their home at Baba Colony in Badaun on Tuesday evening.

"We are completely devastated by the information unraveling about the brutal killing of Ayush and Ahaan in #Budaun," Deputy Ambassador of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, said in a post on X on Thursday.

Speaking of crimes committed against Israeli children in its ongoing war with Hamas, Ohad Nakash Kaynar said they cry for all children as they do for their own.

"As Israelis who have just seen the most heinous crimes perpetrated against defenseless children in our southern cities, we cry for all children just as for our own. Heartbreaking," the message, reposted by the Israeli Embassy, said.

The main accused, Sajid, was shot dead in a police encounter two hours after the murder.

The mother of the slain children told reporters: "It is Javed who can disclose the motive behind the murder of my minor sons. I still do not know why Sajid killed my sons. Maybe he did it at someone's behest,” she said.

According to local media reports, Hamas militants killed more than 30 Israeli children when they attacked the country on October 7, 2023. Israel says 130 hostages abducted last year remain in captivity, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Following reports that Hamas killed or kidnapped several children during its attack, the group had released footage of its militants attending to infants and toddlers.