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Was Israel Responsible for Gaza Beach Blast?

(Ynet News) Hanan Greenberg - Seven members of a Palestinian family were killed in an explosion on a Gaza beach on Friday that was blamed on Israel. Tragic pictures of a seven-year-old girl, orphaned by the blast, running around her dying father, were broadcast around the world. But by Sunday, accumulating proof is suggesting that the blast may not have been caused by an IDF shell. Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that the security establishment had completely excluded the possibility that the explosion was caused by an IDF air force or naval strike. Regarding, the possibility of Israeli artillery fire, Peretz said, "Out of six shells that were fired, the landing spot of one of them is unknown." However, he added, there are great disparities between the time at which the army recording firing shells and the time the beachfront explosion occurred. IDF investigations found that the shell that hit closest to the blast site landed a full 200 to 250 meters away, and therefore could not have caused the deadly explosion. Immediately after the explosion, Palestinian gunmen, among them Hamas members, arrived on the scene even before Palestinian security forces and were seen combing the area, strengthen the theory that its members may have planted mines or explosives at the site.
2006-06-12 00:00:00
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