The Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem has cast doubt on a claim by Israel that a truck targeted in an air strike was being used by Hamas for weapons shipment.
Israel claims that a recently released video shows Hamas operatives loading Grad missiles onto the truck. The video includes images of the truck being struck by an Israeli missile and exploding into flames.
The video is titled: "Grad missiles being loaded onto Hamas vehicle."
As it turned out the "Hamas operatives" were friends and relatives of Gaza resident Abu Imad- Sanur. They had gone to his metal workshop in a truck owned by Imad-Sanur to retrieve some of his materials because a building next door had been struck by the Israelis and Imad-Sanur was afraid of looters.
The helpers were moving oxygen cylinders onto the truck when they were hit. Eight people were killed including Imad-Sanur's son.
Burned out oxygen cylinders.
B'Tselem has posted the story on its website along with a photo of burned out oxygen cylinders.
Imad-Sanur told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: "These were not Hamas, they were our children... They were not Grad missiles."
The dead have been named as: Muhammad Bassel Madi, 17, Wisam Akram Eid, 14, Imad Ahmad Sanur, 32, Rami Sa'adi Ghabayan, 24, Mahmoud Nabil Ghabayan, 14, Ashraf al-Dabagh, 26, Muhammad Majed Ka'abar, 20, and Ahmad Ibrahim Khila, 15.
When challenged with the evidence, Israel claimed that the site had been used to store weapons in the past. They routinely make such claims when civilian targets are hit and international outrage ensues.
View the video and BBC report here.
