IAF footage refutes claims of massacre in Gaza

Jerusalem Post/IDF ^ | 10-21-03 | MARGOT DUDKEVITCH

[SJackson]

Photo: IDF

Twenty hours after the IAF helicopter rocket attack on a vehicle containing Hamas terrorists in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Monday night, which was described by the Palestinians as a massacre and by MIK Ranan Cohen as a "blitz", the air force released footage that clearly shows there were no Palestinian civilians in the street when the two rockets hit the car despite Palestinian reports claiming otherwise.

The thermal footage taken by a remote control drone that filmed the entire rocket attack begins shortly before the first rocket hits the vehicle carrying the Hamas suspects.

The picture shows the main road in the camp with two vehicles traveling a distance apart along it. The helicopter monitors the movement of the terrorist's car, which is the second vehicle seen on the film and shows the first Hellfire missile directly hitting it.

The driver loses control, crashes into a tree and the car disappears, hidden by a building, but is seen seconds later traveling in reverse. There are no people on the streets and no other vehicles when the car comes to a halt.

An ambulance is then seen passing the damaged vehicle as it continues along the road. Only after the ambulance is a distance away does the air force pilot release the second rocket which hits the vehicle and clearly shows three bodies lying in the street.

For at least two and a half minutes after the attack the footage shows the thermal images of one or two other people in the area but not close to where the vehicle that was hit.

On Monday night following the attack Palestinians claimed eight people were killed and over eighty wounded. Palestinian media reports claimed that air force helicopters fired one rocket which hit the car and then a second rocket into a crowd that had gathered around the burning vehicle.

Israeli security officials on Tuesday said of the eleven Palestinians killed in all five attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip at least seven had been accurately identified as Hamas terrorists.

The IDF Spokesman noted that the entire incident began at the border fence near Kibbutz Nahal Oz when soldiers on patrol spotted a group of Palestinians attempting to infiltrate into Israel and opened fire killing two.

At the same time the soldiers spotted members of the same terror cell fleeing in a car back towards Gaza. The soldiers alerted the air force and a helicopter pursued the vehicle and fired rockets killing the Hamas terrorists that were inside.

..............................

October 21, 2003

IAF Strike Against Terrorist Cells and Weapons Workshop in the Gaza Strip

Tonight, IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip identified a terrorist cell attempting to infilitrate into Israel. Two members of the cell approached the perimeter fence west of kibbutz Nahal-Oz.

IDF forces in the area opened fire, and identified a hit. The remaining members of the terrorist cell fled in a vehicle.

During searches initiated after the event, IAF attack helicopters identified the above-mentioned vehicle and fired a number of missiles, killing its occupants.

No injuries to IDF forces were reported.

Click here to view the movie taken by a UAV of the strike against the vehicle of the terrorist cell in the Gaza Strip

IAF strikes a weapons workshop in Gaza City

Later this evening, IAF fighter planes struck a weapons workshop in the Sajaryah neighborhood of Gaza City which was targeted earlier in the day.

The weapons workshop was used by the Hamas terrorist organization to produce weapons and explosive devices.

The above-mentioned weaponry enables Hamas to carry out attacks against Israel, with Qassam rockets, mortars, anti-tank missiles and explosive devices.

IAF strikes vehicle driven by Hamas terrorist cell

In the framework of the ongoing terrorist activity against the terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, IAF attack helicopters struck a vehicle driven by Hamas operatives who utilized the above-mentioned weaponry.

During the operation, Halad Sayid Masri, a resident of Gaza City, was killed. Masri, a senior Hamas operative (born in 1967), was involved in manufacturing Qassam rockets and mortars for the organization.

IAF strikes Hamas weapons depot

In addition, the IAF struck a building in Gaza City in which explosive materials used to manufacture Qassam rockets and mortars were stored.

The Hamas weapons workshop targeted by the IAF.

[SJackson]

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Corrected link--English IDF Website video of 20 Oct. Car Attack

[ml/nj]

I don't usually look at the NY Times anymore, but this morning I saw a copy and it had a story about this same news item that began this way:

It is not unusual for Israelis and Palestinians to have opposing, vivid versions of reality.

But it is unusual for both sides to display the kind of concrete, if conflicting, evidence that they presented Tuesday for the violence that convulsed the main street here on Monday night.

The Palestinians had their grief and their rage, their seven dead and their many wounded. The Israeli Air Force had its videotape.

Palestinian witness after Palestinian witness told the same story: an Israeli rocket struck near a car; then, after two, three or perhaps five minutes passed, a second rocket hit near the same spot.

So now "grief and rage" qualify as concrete evidence. It isn't until significantly later in the Times piece that one learns that the Israelis videotaped the entire incident under consideration here, and that the videotape completely contradicts the Arab "evidence." I'd post the entire story, but I no longer consider the Times a reliable news soure.

ML/NJ

[truthandlife]

NY Times getting story wrong?

Surprise, surprise!

[Catspaw]

JENIN MASSACRE!! JENIN MASSACRE!!!

Ooops, it wasn't.

The Palies are still playing that same old tune.

[tang-soo]

So now "grief and rage" qualify as concrete evidence. It isn't until significantly later in the Times piece that one learns that the Israelis videotaped the entire incident under consideration here, and that the videotape completely contradicts the Arab "evidence." I'd post the entire story, but I no longer consider the Times a reliable news soure.

A poster commented in another thread its possible the second explosion (claimed to have been a missle) may have been from explosives being carried in the car by the terrorthugs. i.e. they were ignited by the flames in the car. I'm impressed the footage shows (once again) the pin point attempts of the IAF to avoid "civilians".

[ChewedGum]

I guess the rest of the world doesn't base credibility upon past history. Pity that.

Gum