IDF admits strike hit civilians
(VIDEO) Senior officer explains when first missile missed terror cell, second missile was fired; civilians were detected only after it was on course – and if missile has been redirected it could have hit even more bystanders. IDF general expresses regret, but adds: We were fulfilling duties as army
Military officials noted that since the weekend, some 100 Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israeli communities by terror cells in northern Gaza, and therefore it was crucial to take out the cell responsible for the attacks.
IDF sources explained that the first rocket fired from an Israeli military aircraft apparently hit next to the targeted car, and therefore it was decided to aim another missile to ensure that the cell members, which the IDF has been pursuing for a long time, would in fact be hit. The second missile hit the cell members in the car, but also hit nearby civilians.
A senior officer explained that after the second missile was fired, at a certain point civilians were identified near the car, but if they had decided to veer the missile off course, it could have killed even more innocent victims.
Eisencott gave details of the preliminary investigation into the incident. “This afternoon an Islamic Jihad cell got into a car very near the launch site, with the intention of firing long-range Grad missiles at Israel.”
“The vehicle was located and munitions were fired at it. Simultaneously, nearby civilians ran towards the car and were hit by a second missile that was fired. When the second missile was fired, no civilians were identified at the target location. As in earlier incidents in which civilians not involved in terrorism were hit, we express deep regret over the incident. With that, we are fulfilling our duties as an army to provide security for the citizens of the State of Israel that live in the Gaza perimeter. That is what we were doing and that is what we will continue to do.”
As in every incident in which civilians are killed, the IDF will have to carry out an encompassing investigation regarding the decision making in the incident, despite the fact that the strike was operationally successfully in that it neutralized the targeted terrorists.
'Beach explosion being examined'
Brig.-Gen. Eisencott addressed the tragic incident last Friday on a Gaza beach in which seven members of the Raliya family were killed. He hinted that the inquiry into the incident is finding that the explosion was not caused by Israeli fire.
“The explosion on the beach is being examined, and I expect that soon initial conclusions will be published, and we will know additional and other details about what happened there,” he said.
Eisencott’s speech at the Tel Aviv University ran under the title, “Decision in the war on terror?” He estimated that Palestinian terrorism would continue for a long time, at varying degrees, and it cannot be completely stopped in the foreseeable future.
“Terror will continue for many years. There is no miracle solution that will beat it, but with a series of operations of various types, it can be minimized,” Eisencott said.
