Hamas Leader Paid Gaza Family to Say Israel Killed Girl

Hamas propaganda machine is relentless and totally untrue

By Susan McFarland 

Palestinians run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a protest near the Gaza-Israel border in Rafah on May 14. Thursday, a member of a Gaza family was charged with falsely claiming Israeli tear gas killed his 8-month-old niece that day. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

UPI -- An indictment filed Thursday accuses Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of paying a Gaza family to falsely claim their baby died of a tear gas attack launched by Israeli troops.

The charges say the family was given $2,200 to blame Israel for the death of their 8-month-old girl last month.

The child died May 14 of a blood disorder, the same condition the family's 6-month-old son died of last year.

The girl's uncle, Mahmoud Omar, is named in the indictment. He was arrested last month during the "March of Return" riots after being caught trying to cross into Israel to set fire to an unmanned Israeli army position.

During interrogations, Omar told investigators about the payoff for his family to lie about his niece's death. He is also a member of the Palestinian al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Israeli army officials had cast doubt on the story. About two weeks after the girl's death, the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza removed her name from a list of those killed in border clashes with Israeli forces.