Apologies: Video of Carnage in Gaza Market is a hoax

vidcocr4.jpg
Here is a side by side of the video posted and a photo from 2005.


Jan 4, 2009

We, like many other websites, posted a video allegedly showing the aftermath of an IDF air strike on a Gaza market. The video turned out to be disinformation: it was not shot three days ago, as indicated by the link, and has nothing to do with the current conflict. It is actually from 2005. It was taken in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, when a pickup truck carrying homemade rockets detonated by mistake during a Hamas rally. Our apologies to our readers.

From Wake Up From Your Slumber

I regret that I was deceived by the video I grabbed and uploaded for propagation in the original post "Israel bombs a civilian market (GRAPHIC Video)".

Please allow me to explain.

The video in question made its initial appearance on LiveLeak with the upload date January 1st. It claims to be connected to IDF strike in the recent conflict with the header "RAW (Graphic): Scene After IDF Attack In Gaza 1/1/09".

This turned out to be a very inaccurate and misleading claim.

Someone, likely a pro-Israel right-winger (judging his attitude rebutting criticism of Israel's response to Hamas/Gaza reminiscent of Little Green Footballs fan who sought to "minimize" the horror as reflected in reddit comment history), posted a detailed comment on Reddit that debunked the claim.

Here is what the debunker by the reddit username TW9zc2Fk (who has been a registered user for only a week) said:

___________________

Hi there cyberdogg2, you might want to read my comment over here.

Just a few problems with this:

  • The video was recorded on September 23rd 2005, not 1st January 2009

  • The scene is not a civilian marketplace, it is from the Jabalya refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip

  • The video does not depict the aftermath of an IDF air strike, it depicts the aftermath of the explosion of a pick-up truck carrying Qassam rockets during a Hamas rally (that explains the large number of Hamas personnel present immediately after the explosion, the miniature Hamas flags, etc.)

  • At least 15 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in the blast, many of whom were Hamas security personnel either in or around the pick-up truck (that explains all the wounded in military uniforms)

  • The copy of the video you are actively distributing has been edited. The original video supposedly showed the Hamas pick-up truck (visible for a split-second at the start of your edited version) exploding, whereas your version cuts from an image of the pick-up beforehand to the immediate aftermath

  • Despite Hamas' attempts to pin the detonation on Israeli aircraft they claim were flying overhead at the time, eyewitnesses reported no engagement by the aircraft, the cause was established to be mishandling of the Qassam rockets, and Israel denied all involvement

I kindly suggest you now take whatever action you can to stop spreading this video as misinformation about Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip at present.

News articles:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4276458.stm http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/23/world/main881068.shtml http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/israel.php

* * *

THIS VIDEO IS MISLEADING

The video was not taken on January 1st 2009. It was not taken in a civilian market, and it was not the result of an IDF air strike.

This video is from September 23rd 2005, and was taken in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. A Hamas pick-up truck carrying Qassam rockets detonated by mistake during a Hamas rally, leaving at least 15 killed and dozens more injured.

The pick-up truck in question is visible for a split-second at the start of the video. The section of the video showing the pick-up exploding has been edited out. The large number of Hamas personnel present, the number of injured in military uniform, the large number of civilians and Hamas flags all over the place confirm this.

Compare the video from 4:08-4:24 with this photograph taken after the blast at the rally. In the background of the video the man shown in the white top in this photo is clearly visible tending to one of the casualties. Another person is shown coming over to him and placing the distinctive purple/green striped blanket over the body laying next to him, and the wooden pole he is knelt next to is visible.

The man in the white top is visible once again in this photograph (from this CBS News article) along with the man in a yellow shirt with serious leg injuries visible at around 3:55 in the video

A side-by-side comparison of a frame from the video at ~4:08 and the aforementioned photo from the CBS News article is here.

News articles about the actual incident depicted in this video:

Palestinians killed in Gaza blast - At least 15 Palestinians have been killed and scores injured in a blast during a parade by the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. A truck carrying gunmen and home-made weapons blew up during the rally in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Israel has denied involvement, while the ruling Palestinian Fatah faction said it held Hamas responsible. [...]

An unnamed witness was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying "I was thrown several metres, then I looked behind and I saw people dismembered and lying on the ground dead." [...]

— BBC News

Gaza: Blast during Hamas rally kills 19 - At least 19 Palestinians were killed and some 80 more were injured Friday from an explosion that occurred during a Hamas rally at the Jabalya refugee camp in north Gaza.

While the Palestinian Interior Ministry has reported that 19 people died in the blast, hospitals said that at least 10 people were killed. Some of those killed were Hamas members, and the rest were citizens, among them two children, who took part in the rally.

The Palestinian Interior ad National Security Ministry said that according to eyewitness accounts the blast occurred inside a vehicle carrying Qassam rockets and was not the result of IDF fire.

A videotape of the rally showed a jeep blowing up, followed by images of people running for safety. [...]

— Ynetnews

___________________

 

Because I am interested in nothing but the whole truth, after I examined his claim with proofs provided, I was forced to concede the video is misleading and had to apologize for the mistake in unintentional deception of the public.

The video is very real but the header and description that claims IDF strike that maimed and killed the victims is, regretfully, totally misleading that have nothing to do with the current conflict. The correct header to reflect accuracy should be "September 23 2005 HAMAS Rally Explosion Aftermath". The video, upon closer examination, was deliberately edited to maximize propaganda by deception (split second footage of Hamas soldier on truck at the very start then cut to carnage, not providing the true context).

I should not have jumped to the conclusion. I was bamboozled.

Let everyone you know who has seen the video of the error.






See also:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3b3_1230864719

:: Article nr. 50391 sent on 05-jan-2008 04:38 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=50391

:: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website.

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Posted by PIMPIN TURTLE at 1/5/2009 4:19 PM
Categories: THE WAR MACHINE,WTF,Holy Land,ALL THE BEST STUFF,Middle East,Corruption and Lies
 

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