The Israeli army has expressed regret over the “harm to uninvolved individuals” caused by a recent strike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The December 24 attack on the urban refugee camp left dozens of people dead. The Hamas-run Health Ministry put the toll at more than 70, with children among the victims. UN officials said 86 people were killed.
More than 33,000 people live in al-Maghasi, which covers an area of 0.6 sq km, according to the UN.
An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman said on Thursday that fighter jets had “struck two targets adjacent to which Hamas operatives were located on December 24”.
“Before the strikes were carried out, steps were taken by the IDF to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians in the area.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that additional buildings located near the targets were also hit during the strikes, which likely caused unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians.”
Israel-Gaza war in 2024: signs of more devastation, open-ended occupation
Israel-Gaza war in 2024: signs of more devastation, open-ended occupation
The incident is now being dealt with by a special committee within the army, which is responsible for investigating “exceptional incidents that occur during combat”.
Israel’s KAN broadcaster reported, citing an unnamed military official, that the investigation had revealed that the appropriate ammunition was not used in the attack, leading to the extensive damage.
“This could have been prevented if the right ammunition had been chosen for the operation,” the broadcaster reported.
Israeli strikes in Gaza have repeatedly struck hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law, and desperation is growing among medical staff over their inability to treat people.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas of having tunnels under hospitals and using the medical facilities as command centres, a charge the Islamist group denies.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse