Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Nearly two weeks after a Palestinian family was killed in an explosion while picnicking on a Gaza Beach, Israel said it has further proof that it was not responsible for the incident.
The June 9 explosion killed seven members of the Ghalia family, shortly after Israel fired six shells at Palestinian targets in response to rockets fired at Israel.
Palestinian leaders and many media outlets were quick to blame Israel for blowing up the family, and within hours, Palestinian terrorists unleashed a "retaliatory" barrage of rockets on the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
Maj. Gen. Meir Kalifi, who is heading the ongoing Israeli investigation into the explosion, said on Wednesday that a second fragment of shrapnel removed from a Ghalia family member definitely did not come from an Israeli artillery shell.
Last week, Kalifi released the initial findings of the army's investigation. He ruled out Israeli Air Force and Navy fire as possible causes. Even though one of the six Israeli artillery shells fired in the area was not located, Kalifi ruled out artillery fire, given the range, which had been adjusted to keep shells away from civilian areas.
Some observers have suggested that the blast was caused by a mine planted by Hamas on the beach to prevent Israeli commandos from entering Gaza by sea.
At least one human rights organization cast doubts on the Israeli investigation. Human Rights Watch is calling for an international inquiry.
Four Palestinians wounded in the blast have been transferred to Israeli hospitals. One of them, Rania Niham, has now regained consciousness, Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center said on Tuesday.
Niham had cuts all over her body, some definitely from shrapnel, the hospital said, but only one fragment was lodged in her body.
The combination of cuts and no fragments "is not routine and does not correspond to our accumulated medical experience as a result of having treated hundreds of patients who
were wounded in terrorist attacks and by bombs and who usually arrive with
fragments in various places throughout their bodies," the hospital said in a statement.
Other aspects cast doubt on the Palestinian version of events suspect. Shortly after the explosion, Palestinians were filmed picking up all the pieces of shrapnel from the beach.
A Palestinian television clip of the incident shortly after it happened showed file footage of an Israeli naval vessel firing on the beach and then cut to scenes of the dead and wounded in the current incident.
Israel has complained in the past that the international media often jumps on the Palestinian bandwagon before the facts are clear. By the time the truth comes out, the public relations damage to Israel is already done.
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