NBC’s Engel: Blaming Israel for Hospital Blast Wasn’t ‘An Impossible Assumption’ — ‘Some of It Might Be Disinformation’

CABRERA Back to our ░░░░░░░░ news now in the ░░░░░░░░ East We re going ░░░░░░░░ turn to the West ░░░░░░░░ where tensions are boiling ░░░░░░░░ this morning protests turning ░░░░░░░░ Our Richard Engel is ░░░░░░░░ in Ramallah in the ░░░░░░░░ Bank Richard what s ░░░░░░░░ Engel So there have ░░░░░░░░ some clashes here in ░░░░░░░░ West Bank They ve ░░░░░░░░ relatively small not very ░░░░░░░░ numbers but this is ░░░░░░░░ one of many places ░░░░░░░░ Palestinians Arabs Muslims have ░░░░░░░░ out to express their ░░░░░░░░ after an explosion at ░░░░░░░░ hospital inside Gaza City ░░░░░░░░ night in which Palestinian ░░░░░░░░ now say 470 people ░░░░░░░░ killed There are very ░░░░░░░░ circumstances of what happened ░░░░░░░░ that hospital According to ░░░░░░░░ according to Hamas according ░░░░░░░░ medical officials there was ░░░░░░░░ Israeli air strike on ░░░░░░░░ hospital and that is ░░░░░░░░ many people here believe ░░░░░░░░ people were sheltering in ░░░░░░░░ hospital thousands of them ░░░░░░░░ suddenly this air strike ░░░░░░░░ in and killed people ░░░░░░░░ were packed together trying ░░░░░░░░ find safety The Israeli ░░░░░░░░ and according to President ░░░░░░░░ the U S military ░░░░░░░░ verified that it was ░░░░░░░░ an Israeli air strike ░░░░░░░░ killed those hundreds of ░░░░░░░░ that it was in ░░░░░░░░ a Palestinian rocket that ░░░░░░░░ a rocket fired by ░░░░░░░░ group called Palestinian Islamic ░░░░░░░░ which is a rival ░░░░░░░░ Hamas but also operates ░░░░░░░░ the Gaza Strip that ░░░░░░░░ rocket went up that ░░░░░░░░ must have happened to ░░░░░░░░ it got damaged and ░░░░░░░░ came crashing down right ░░░░░░░░ top of these people ░░░░░░░░ also released video of ░░░░░░░░ it claims is that ░░░░░░░░ and also released some ░░░░░░░░ also says it has ░░░░░░░░ intercepts of the of ░░░░░░░░ from Hamas discussing the ░░░░░░░░ and confirming that they ░░░░░░░░ t fire it and ░░░░░░░░ they believed it was ░░░░░░░░ by another group this ░░░░░░░░ group Palestinian Islamic Jihad ░░░░░░░░ we re seeing anger ░░░░░░░░ despite the Israeli denial ░░░░░░░░ despite the evidence that ░░░░░░░░ has presented evidence that ░░░░░░░░ U S finds convincing ░░░░░░░░ across the Arab world ░░░░░░░░ like I said relatively ░░░░░░░░ clashes but in Beirut ░░░░░░░░ re seeing a much ░░░░░░░░ volatile situation where people ░░░░░░░░ gathered near the U ░░░░░░░░ Embassy Lebanese security forces ░░░░░░░░ in to try and ░░░░░░░░ them There have been ░░░░░░░░ in other cities across ░░░░░░░░ region So we re ░░░░░░░░ a moment of rage ░░░░░░░░ whenever you have rage ░░░░░░░░ an incident like this ░░░░░░░░ was responsible there is ░░░░░░░░ danger that it could ░░░░░░░░ encourage Hamas that it ░░░░░░░░ encourage Iran it could ░░░░░░░░ Hezbollah to continue their ░░░░░░░░ their strikes against Israel ░░░░░░░░ the hope that it ░░░░░░░░ gain their popularity and ░░░░░░░░ the streets DIAZ BALART ░░░░░░░░ Richard you ve been ░░░░░░░░ for hours and I ░░░░░░░░ just wondering if you ░░░░░░░░ continue to paint a ░░░░░░░░ of what you have ░░░░░░░░ seeing what you have ░░░░░░░░ witnessing and what you ░░░░░░░░ witnessing right now Those ░░░░░░░░ that are behind you ░░░░░░░░ they in a contained ░░░░░░░░ thing What are you ░░░░░░░░ Engel So the way ░░░░░░░░ works here and it ░░░░░░░░ plays out like this ░░░░░░░░ the city of Ramallah ░░░░░░░░ in other parts of ░░░░░░░░ West Bank you have ░░░░░░░░ young people you can ░░░░░░░░ some of them right ░░░░░░░░ covering their faces because ░░░░░░░░ don t want the ░░░░░░░░ to recognize them In ░░░░░░░░ cases they don t ░░░░░░░░ their parents to recognize ░░░░░░░░ We had a young ░░░░░░░░ come up and say ░░░░░░░░ don t shoot me ░░░░░░░░ me Film me because ░░░░░░░░ don t want my ░░░░░░░░ to know that I ░░░░░░░░ here So these are ░░░░░░░░ young some quite young ░░░░░░░░ re coming out they ░░░░░░░░ using slingshots And if ░░░░░░░░ see on the hilltop ░░░░░░░░ there s a line ░░░░░░░░ concrete There are Israeli ░░░░░░░░ I don t know ░░░░░░░░ you have enough zoom ░░░░░░░░ but you can see ░░░░░░░░ Israeli troops sort of ░░░░░░░░ their heads over And ░░░░░░░░ around this corner there ░░░░░░░░ Israeli jeeps and we ░░░░░░░░ pulled back because those ░░░░░░░░ soldiers in the jeeps ░░░░░░░░ been firing towards the ░░░░░░░░ in the middle of ░░░░░░░░ road we ve seen ░░░░░░░░ people carried away in ░░░░░░░░ It seemed to be ░░░░░░░░ they were hit by ░░░░░░░░ coated bullets that can ░░░░░░░░ a lot of damage ░░░░░░░░ can kill you if ░░░░░░░░ hit you in the ░░░░░░░░ But the people we ░░░░░░░░ seemed to be mostly ░░░░░░░░ in the lower limbs ░░░░░░░░ the legs So this ░░░░░░░░ an expression of anger ░░░░░░░░ in the West Bank ░░░░░░░░ is how Palestinians express ░░░░░░░░ anger by throwing stones ░░░░░░░░ It s almost a ░░░░░░░░ of the Palestinian resistance ░░░░░░░░ and goes back to ░░░░░░░░ intifada Hamas does it ░░░░░░░░ differently Hamas launches rockets ░░░░░░░░ went recently on a ░░░░░░░░ and massacre spree and ░░░░░░░░ hostages And now we ░░░░░░░░ seeing anger being expressed ░░░░░░░░ other ways in the ░░░░░░░░ world like those protests ░░░░░░░░ Beirut DIAZ BALART Richard ░░░░░░░░ thoughts on just how ░░░░░░░░ the disinformation and misinformation ░░░░░░░░ right after that rocket ░░░░░░░░ the parking lot right ░░░░░░░░ the hospital in Gaza ░░░░░░░░ was instantaneous almost the ░░░░░░░░ and disinformation Engel Well ░░░░░░░░ may be misinformation or ░░░░░░░░ from Hamas but witnesses ░░░░░░░░ well who believe that ░░░░░░░░ was an Israeli air ░░░░░░░░ because they saw something ░░░░░░░░ from the sky they ░░░░░░░░ in Gaza City they ░░░░░░░░ dead bodies all around ░░░░░░░░ maybe they re injured ░░░░░░░░ is not an impossible ░░░░░░░░ to assume it came ░░░░░░░░ Israel since Israel is ░░░░░░░░ out air strikes throughout ░░░░░░░░ Gaza Strip Even the ░░░░░░░░ military said that it ░░░░░░░░ to see if maybe ░░░░░░░░ was one of its ░░░░░░░░ strikes that it was ░░░░░░░░ errant fire So some ░░░░░░░░ it might be disinformation ░░░░░░░░ Hamas does in fact ░░░░░░░░ that it was an ░░░░░░░░ fire by a different ░░░░░░░░ then it s clearly ░░░░░░░░ The other campaign is ░░░░░░░░ people who are in ░░░░░░░░ under attack and believed ░░░░░░░░ the Israelis attacked them ░░░░░░░░ Okay Richard Engel we ░░░░░░░░ that you are sorting ░░░░░░░░ all out for us ░░░░░░░░ you for being there ░░░░░░░░ person Obviously we want ░░░░░░░░ to stay safe and ░░░░░░░░ crew Thanks for continuing ░░░░░░░░ courageous reporting Let s ░░░░░░░░ to the facts on ░░░░░░░░ because this is such ░░░░░░░░ huge issue right now.”