Friday, October 24, 2003

The Video Made the Evening News, This Analysis is Buried in the Back Pages
Scrutiny of Video Suggests Israelis Didn't See Gazans They Shot
An Israeli military official acknowledged Wednesday that an Air Force video appears to show Palestinians gathering in an alley near the site of a helicopter strike in the Gaza Strip, and that their presence could account for the high casualty toll in a missile attack on Monday.

On Tuesday the Israel military took the unusual step of displaying to foreign journalists a videotape of two missiles hitting a Palestinian car carrying suspected Hamas members in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said the videotape, taken by a drone overhead, refuted Palestinian claims that a helicopter crew had fired the second missile into a group of civilians who approached the car after it was first hit. Overall, seven people were killed and many more were wounded, Palestinians said.

On Wednesday Israel released the tape and reporters were able to scrutinize each frame. Initially it seems to support the Israeli account: that a helicopter fired both missiles at a car on an empty street, and that no people were nearby.

But close viewing of the grainy black-and-white video appears to show people rushing into an alley near the car after the first missile was fired and before the second missile struck, about one minute later.

"It seems to me there may be people in the alleyway," an Israeli military official acknowledged. "It's possible this is the cause for all the casualties."

The official, who took part in a briefing of journalists on Tuesday, said the military did not detect the figures in the alley until later. The military said it would make no formal comment while its investigation continued.

During the attack, Israeli commanders were viewing the video images live and speaking to the crew of the helicopter hovering over the car.

A senior air force official said the helicopter crew had been authorized to fire a second missile because the main street remained empty and the car provided a clear target, with no other Palestinians visible.

Initially, the Palestinians in the alley are difficult to see. But when a black cloud of smoke dissipates after the second strike, the figures become clearer. They flee down the alley, away from the blast.

Counting individuals is difficult, but it appears there could be dozens of people, in line with the accounts of Palestinian witnesses.

The military said the helicopters fired two identical missiles that carried only a few pounds of explosives. But the second caused the bigger explosion. Military officials said the Palestinian car might have been carrying explosives, which would account for the larger blast.…

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/23/international/middleeast/23MIDE.html

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