A 20-year-old Palestinian indicted Thursday on terror-related charges told Israeli investigators during his interrogation that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar paid his relatives to falsely tell the media that his 8-month-old cousin died of tear gas inhalation, Times of Israel reported.
The story of baby Layla Ghandour’s death, purportedly from inhaling tear gas fired by Israel at the Gaza border, made headlines around the world last month and intensified global criticism of Israel’s handling of Hamas-spurred violence at the fence.
On May 28, IDF forces arrested Mahmoud Omar along with another member of Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, after they attempted to infiltrate into Israel and torch an unmanned IDF post.
Omar told authorities that he was among the 40,000 Gazans taking part in the May 14 riots at the border when his mother called to inform him that his baby cousin had died.
Upon arriving home shortly thereafter, he was told that Layla had died of a blood disease similar to the one that took the life of the deceased infant’s brother, who succumbed to the condition at the same age in 2017.
However, Omar told authorities, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar paid Layla’s parents, Miriam and Anwar Ghandour, NIS 8,000 ($2,206) to tell the media that the infant had died due to tear gas inhalation at the Gaza protests.
Remember Layla Ghandour that her parents said she died after inhaling tear gas that the IDF has fired at the Gaza border?
Her cousin admits she died of hereditary blood disease & reveals that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar paid her parents 8000 Shekels so they would lie &blame Israel pic.twitter.com/oA6zEG7QVO
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) June 21, 2018
Perhaps a Public Apology is in order?? Public Leaders that were super quick to blame #Israel for killing babies, should have the guts to apologize to #Israel after it was revealed #Hamas paid family $2,200 to claim their baby was killed by Israeli tear gas https://t.co/eNPqVXyE9b pic.twitter.com/RjimptB9ob
— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) June 21, 2018
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3 Responses
We always knew the truth. The problem is that this piece of news only comes out in Jewish outets. The story should be pushed in the faces of the NY Times,The Guardian CNN BBC etc etc It should also be sent to the leaders of Britain, Belgium France Germany, even the Democrats in USA and get them to reverse their comments. But that never seems to happen!
I’m surprised they had to be paid.
God had mercy on this baby and took it back from this overly abusive regime