BEACH BLAST WORK OF HAMAS, NOT ISRAEL

Probe: Hamas Bomb, Not IDF Shell, Caused Gaza Deaths - Amos Harel
An Israel Defense Forces committee investigating the deaths of seven Palestinians at a Gaza beach last Friday is close to concluding that the IDF was not responsible. Its tentative conclusion is that the deaths stemmed from a bomb that Hamas planted on the beach in order to ambush Israeli naval commandos operating in northern Gaza. Three people wounded in the blast are now hospitalized in Israel. Shrapnel was apparently removed from their bodies, and this is likely to reinforce the conclusion that the explosion was caused by a bomb rather than a shell.

Based on photographs, the crater left on the beach by the blast seems to have been made by an explosion from below (a mine), not a hit from above (a shell). Israel has amassed considerable information indicating that over the past few weeks, ever since Israeli commandos infiltrated Gaza and killed a rocket-launching cell, Hamas has been systematically mining the northern Gaza beach in an attempt to keep Israeli commandos from landing there again. (Ha'aretz)

See also Shrapnel Doesn't Match Artillery Metal
Israel Television Channel 2 reported Monday that shrapnel in the body of a wounded Palestinian who had been brought to Israel after the Gaza beach incident does not match the metal composition of Israeli artillery shells. (Walla News-Hebrew)

See also PA TV Falsifies Video of Gaza Deaths - Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook (Palestinian Media Watch) PA TV has been repeatedly broadcasting a falsified video clip of the events surrounding the deaths of Palestinians on the Gaza beach on Friday. PA TV took unrelated video of an Israeli boat firing at Gaza hours before the incident and edited it to create the impression that the boat fired at civilians on the beach.

See also Israel: Gaza Blast Not From Israeli Shell - Laurie Copans (AP/Washington Post)

SEE ALSO: GAZA BEACH LIBEL (HONESTREPORTING)

SO WHERE ARE THE FRONT PAGE, HEADLINE RETRACTIONS? CBS'S NATIONAL NEWS LED WITH THE STORY ALL WEEKEND. A GRAPHIC PICTURE WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES. ALL BLAMING ISRAEL. WILL THE NEWS MEDIA REPORT THE TRUTH? WILL THEY DO SO WITH THE PROMINENCE AFFORDED THE LIBEL?