The confession of an Israeli official to Kan public radio comes at a time when Israel was accused of using “dirty” bombs on Gaza.
An Israeli military official said that the high death toll from the attack on the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip was the result of the use of inappropriate munitions, highlighting Israeli military tactics that led to large numbers of civilian casualties.
Speaking to Israel's public broadcaster Kan, a military official said on Thursday that the raid on Maghazi, which killed at least 70 people, used munitions inappropriate for a crowded refugee camp.
“The type of munition did not match the nature of the attack, causing widespread collateral damage that could have been avoided,” the official told the Kan public broadcaster.
“the [Israeli army] The official added: “It regrets the harm caused to those who were not involved and is working to learn lessons from the incident.”
The statement about the bombing, which the Israeli army previously said was under investigation, comes amid reports that Israel regularly uses powerful bombs in the crowded Strip, despite the growing risk of civilian casualties.
Earlier this month, CNN reported this Almost half Of the Israeli munitions used in Gaza were unguided “stupid bombs,” citing a US intelligence assessment. These munitions are less accurate and carry a greater risk of causing civilian casualties.
Israel says the Christmas Eve massacre of 70 Palestinians in the Maghazi refugee camp was a “mistake” because “the type of weapons used did not suit the nature of the mission.”
In other words, hundreds of massacres that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians committed by Israel…
– Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) December 28, 2023
Israeli news outlet +972 also Previously mentioned The Israeli military lowered its standards regarding acceptable civilian harm from attacks, resulting in a larger proportion of civilians being killed than in previous rounds of military attacks.
The Palestinian authorities say that more than 21,000 people were killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza, more than half of whom were women and children.
The current round of fighting was preceded by months of escalating tensions, but it began on October 7 when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, which authorities there said killed more than 1,100 people and captured more than 240.
The attack on Al-Maghazi is not the first of its kind to raise questions about the indiscriminate nature of the Israeli bombing, which has turned entire neighborhoods in Gaza into mountains of rubble. On Thursday, nearly 100 people were killed in attacks on various locations across Gaza.
Palestinian authorities said at least 90 people were killed in Israeli attacks on a housing complex in the Jabalia refugee camp earlier this month, and in early December, Israeli attacks killed 700 Palestinians in a single day.
Palestinians in the besieged enclave say they have nowhere safe to flee from ongoing Israeli bombing, which has also targeted areas toward which Israeli authorities have asked civilians to move to avoid fighting.
Relief agencies, including the United Nations, condemned the Israeli targeting of schools, hospitals and residential areas, as the Israeli bombing of Gaza was considered the most destructive in modern history.
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