Children killed in Beit Hanun
צילום: AP
IDF probe into death of Palestinian family to resume
Southern Command chief Galant orders continued investigation into Monday's death of mother, her four children during Israeli army's activity in north Gaza
IDF Southern Command chief Major General Yoav Galant has ordered the officer in charge of the investigation into Monday's death of a Palestinian mother and her four children in the north Gaza town of Beit Hanun to reexamine the incident, this after the interim findings failed to present a clear picture of what had transpired.
The final probe is expected to be concluded this weekend.
Just a few hours after the incident the IDF issued a statement according to which the family was killed as a result of an explosion that occurred when a bomb strapped to the body of a Palestinian gunman went off after Israeli aircraft opened fire at him. The blast caused the structure in which the mother and her children were staying to collapse, the army said.
The officer in charge of the investigation will review videos documenting the Air Force's attack and will hear accounts from Givati Brigade soldiers who were operating in the area at the time of the attack.
The interim findings supported the IDF's version, but Galant ordered another examination of the incident due to its complexity and possible ramifications.
An IDF official said that according to the testimonies gathered so far, no civilians were present at the site of the aerial attack on the Palestinian gunmen, adding that the forces identified a direct hit.
"During the fighting in Gaza it is difficult to make the distinction between gunmen and innocent civilians, particularly when the gunmen deliberately operate from population hubs," he said, adding that the Air Force was "not always successful" in its attempts to reduce the number of civilian casualties in the Strip.
