A reader points out that this photo, which is said to be of the interior of the Reuters vehicle that ostensibly was hit by one or more Israeli missiles on the night of August 27, shows a cracked windshield:

Whereas this photo, also alleged to be of the Reuters vehicle that was hit by the Israeli missile(s), does not:

No doubt someone will say that the windshield is made of super-duper glass that cracks only on the inside. Perhaps so. But one wonders whether more than one vehicle has been offered up as the "clearly marked" and "armored" Reuters van that was reportedly shot at.

Uncle Jefe at Ace of Spades writes:

I happened to be watching FoxNews when that story was breaking, and at 5:05pm (Pacific) I posted at Ace O' Spades... The photographer was filming IDF activity near the Karni crossing, after midnight. I saw the armored car. Some dents, some scratches, no explosive/burn marks. Looks like they caught some shrapnel. Big dark armored car, after midnight, man pointing something that could look like an RPG at IDF forces.

Uncle Jefe adds:

Fox was still showing an olive drab armored car... It was definitely no direct hit from a missile strike.

Look at Zombietime's takedown of the Qana Red Cross ambulance "direct hit", and apply here. Every time they go live on Fox to show the vehicle, it is an olive green 'armored car' with dark, rust-colored letters saying 'Press' on it. It is not white, with highly visible markings, as you'd expect from a vehicle that wouldn't want to be mistaken for a potentially hostile vehicle.

The damage looks like what you'd see in a minor fender-bender. No evidence of an explosion from within or even from close-by; no burn marks whatsoever. Some dents, some shrapnel tear marks.

So, have two different vehicles been offered up as the one that was hit by the missile, one olive drab and one white?

A Hot Air reader thinks the damage shown in the photos of the white vehicle could possibly be consistent with a Hellfire "M" missile or a 70 mm rocket. Reader Mike Taylor, on the other hand, brings to bear his experience in auto body repair:

My years of paint-and-body work are finally redeeming themselves. The guy who claims that vehicle could have flash-rusted within hours after a missile "hit" is an ignoramus or a disinformation agent. First of all, look at the condition of the vehicle: note the extensive pitting along the edges of the roof and the lower edge of the rear window. This car is a beat-up old junker that was already long past its junkyard appointment.

***As for removing the "protective coating", in this case that would be the paint. If it was scraped off by impact, there would be bright metal showing. If it was burned off by heat, the metal and paint would be gray, not rust-colored.

Flash-rusting happens on bare metal. It takes a minimum of days in a humid atmosphere, without rain. *** That photo and story are a crock.

Many obvious questions remain unanswered, and we can't answer them. What is needed is an investigation on the ground in Gaza. Reuters has called for an investigation of the incident; the Israelis should take them up on the offer and closely examine the vehicle (or vehicles) in question, as well as interview the Reuters employees involved.

UPDATE: One question is answered. Various posters at Hot Air have gone back and forth and concluded, correctly, that if you look at all of the photos, the windshield on the white van is cracked--you just can't see it in the photo above. Which means that the photo of the interior presumably is, as we originally assumed, the same white van that we see in the exterior photos. Which leaves unanswered the question of the olive drab vehicle, why the photograph of the interior does not bear out the description given by Reuters representatives, and many others.

FURTHER UPDATE: More here.

Posted by John at 04:24 PM  |    |