Israeli Military, Gaza Doctor, Cast Doubt on Hamas Claim Tear Gas Killed Palestinian Baby
by Algemeiner Staff
An IDF official cast doubt on Tuesday that the Israeli military was responsible for the death the previous day of a Palestinian baby in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
“We have evidence that undermines the credibility of the Hamas Health Ministry’s announcement regarding the death of the baby,” Maj. Avichay Adraee — the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman — said.
تشكيك أساسي في مصداقية بيان #وزارة_الصّحة التابعة لحماس حول وفاة #الرضيعة في قطاع #غزّة نتيجة استنشاق الغاز المسيل للدموع. لدينا عدّة شهادات تُشكّك في صحّة هذا البيان.
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 15, 2018
Adraee was referring to eight-month-old girl Laila al-Ghandour, who — according to the Health Ministry — died after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces at rioters on the Gaza border.
An anonymous medical doctor in Gaza separately told The Associated Press that al-Ghandour “had a pre-existing medical condition and that he did not believe her death was caused by tear gas.”
Al-Ghandour was laid to rest on Tuesday in Gaza City at a funeral attended by hundreds of mourners.
At least 60 Palestinians were killed on the border on Monday.