By Barney Breen-Portnoy, Algemeiner.com
The tragic story of what happened to the Siyam family in Gaza during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge two years ago has turned out to be far different from what Newsweek reported several months after the war ended.
In a December 2014 Newsweek European edition cover story titled, “Gaza: One War, One Family. Five Children, Four Dead,” Sarah Helm wrote that 12 members of Nabil Siyam’s family – including his wife and four of his five children — were killed on July 21 of that year as they fled their home in Rafah after “Israeli rockets” hit the home next door.
“We got 10 meters away when I heard a drone,” Nabil Siyam was quoted as saying. “I heard the sound of the bomb — it is a special sound — and looked up. The Israelis must have seen us. Drones see everything. The next thing I knew was a cloud of dust and I looked around for my children.”
However, the results of an investigation by the IDF Military Advocate General (MAG) that were published this week refute the story told by Newsweek.
The MAG report said, “The factual findings and the material… presented to the MAG indicate that no attack — aerial or otherwise — that could have resulted in a strike on the family as alleged was carried out by IDF forces in the area in question and on the relevant date.”
Furthermore, the report said, “it was found that at the relevant time, and in close proximity to the Siyam family’s residence, terror organizations in the Gaza Strip fired a series of mortars, aimed at the territory of the State of Israel. A number of these launches were ‘failed launches,’ wherein the mortar shells that were aimed at Israeli territory, fell within the territory of the Gaza Strip.”
Thus, the report stated that “contrary to the allegations, it could be concluded, with reasonable certainty, that the members of the Siyam family were not harmed as a result of IDF activity.” Based on this finding, the MAG ordered the case to be closed.
As reported in The Algemeiner at the time, many rockets and mortars fired by terrorists groups in Gaza toward Israel during the war in the summer of 2014 fell short and exploded inside the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave.
Just this week, a rocket fired from Gaza toward Israel fell short, the popular Elder of Ziyon blog reported, citing Palestinian news outlets.
The Algemeiner submitted a request for comment from Newsweek. No response was received as of publication time.
Israel lets these reporters in. By law, they must be there, writing and reporting and misreporting. And when they purposely misreport or get children to throw stones at Jewish cars for good news footage, Israel does nothing. Despite investigations and photos and video footage showing the who the reporters are and their misreporting, and their creating stone throwings that put children in danger and hurt Israelis, still, Israel does nothing. With each peace talk, the Rebbe warned it would boomerang back to hurt Israel and Jews. Whatever they are printing is fallout from both Camp David and Oslo which Israel… Read more »
I don’t know who you are to express something like that, but in response the IDF MAG report was a thorough & lengthy investigation, for which they were willing to take responsibility if this slander proved true. It didn’t!
The papers like but whos to say IDF is saying the truth? The story if true would put them in bad light
They have no regard for any human life, including their own people, just for domination & power at any & all costs. Obviously the journalists that put this corrupted news out are of the same ilk!
It’s gone down to the level of glossy Rag publication. Ugh, cancel subscriptions.
Just know if you buy the magazine you’re buying Garbage!
If after printing such egregious lies on it’s front cover, how can they expect any decent minded reader to be able to trust the overall integrity of that magazine again!
Of course they blame on the isrealis!
All too often terrorists & others of their kind use whoever’s available as human shields. There’s so much of this in so many of the countries & territories where they have strongholds. You don’t find this in most other countries, Israel included. Newsweek should retract & apologize & possibly do more to reverse the damage & harm done to Israel’s public image & international relations!
These type of lies about the Jewish State just end up backfiring. I heard a story that in Israel’s war of independence the Arabs made up lies about false atrocities that the Israeli army was committing against Arabs. As a result many Arabs panicked and fled, giving the Israeli military an easy victory.
What else did you expect from them or TIME magazine. I hope they all go bankrupt.
The modern press is no better than pravda in its heyday. Let’s stop acting surprised.
Yes, but they should tell the story straight. By who is there needing a truthful answer!
I bet any half-decent attorney can easily sue. Boruch Hashem!
So eager to report incidents such as this without factual proofs and so loathe to correct them when found false.