“Damage to civilians”
Israel’s army expresses remorse after air strike
December 28, 2023, 4:59 p.m
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The Israeli military is self-critical. The reason is fighter jet missions against targets in the refugee district of Al-Maghasi. Several dozen people die. Now the attack should be investigated.
After serious attacks in a refugee neighborhood in the Gaza Strip that left dozens dead on Christmas Eve, the Israeli army expressed regret at the “damage to innocent civilians.” An Israeli army spokesman said they were working on drawing conclusions and lessons from the incident.
On December 24, more than 70 people were killed in air strikes in the refugee district of Al-Maghasi, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. Women and children were also among the victims. UN reports even spoke of 86 deaths. According to the UN, more than 33,000 people live in Al-Maghasi in an area of 0.6 square kilometers.
The military said that on December 24, Israeli fighter jets “attacked two targets adjacent to which Hamas militants were located as part of the Israeli army’s operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas terrorist targets.” Before the attacks, the army “took steps to reduce harm to innocent civilians in the area.”
“This could have been prevented”
An initial investigation showed that other buildings adjacent to the targets had been hit. This probably “caused damage to other uninvolved civilians.” A special committee within the army that is responsible for investigating “extraordinary incidents” is now dealing with the incident.
Israel’s Kan broadcaster, citing an unnamed military man, reported that the investigation showed that the appropriate ammunition was not used in the attack. This led to great damage in the immediate area. “This could have been prevented if the appropriate ammunition had been chosen for the operation,” the station reported.
According to the health authority in Gaza, around 21,320 people have been killed in the coastal area so far. Given the high number of civilian casualties, the military operation has been heavily criticized internationally. The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th.