Israeli tank fire responsible for deadly strike at UN facility in Gaza
Israeli tank fire was responsible for a deadly strike on a United Nations compound in Gaza last month, contradicting prior claims from Israel’s foreign ministry that its military had “no connection” to the incident.
The strike happened on March 19, a day after a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory collapsed. The attack killed a Bulgarian worker and injured several UN employees.
The UN at the time said the compound was “well known” to both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict and blamed an Israeli tank for the incident.
In response, Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Israel had launched an investigation into the UN worker’s death, but “the initial examination found no connection… whatsoever” to Israeli military activity.
But in a statement on Thursday, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said a preliminary investigation had found one of its own tanks was indeed responsible for the bombardment.
It however argued the building was not identified by its soldiers as belonging to the United Nations.
“According to the findings collected so far, the examination indicates that the fatality was caused by tank fire from IDF troops operating in the area,” an IDF statement released on Thursday said.
“The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility.“
The IDF said it “regrets this serious incident and continues to conduct thorough review processes … to prevent such events in the future.”
“We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family.”
At the time, a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the “this UN compound was well known to the parties to the conflict”.
The spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said the UN was taking the step to temporarily reduce its international staff within Gaza due to renewed violence in the Palestinian territory.
Fighting in Gaza has showed little sign of letting up since a ceasefire between the two sides expired in March.
On Thursday, the IDF warned residents in two north Gaza communities to evacuate on Thursday ahead of a planned attack.
“To all of the civilians of the Gaza Strip staying in the areas of Beit Hanoun and Sheikh Zayed,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.
“This is a preliminary and a final warning… move west immediately toward Gaza City.”
AFP
