BBC:
Israeli military admits its troops killed UN worker in Gaza Strip
Maia Davies
BBC News
AP
The UN guesthouse in Deir al-Balah where staff were located when the building was struck, killing one and injuring others
Israel's military has admitted killing a United Nations (UN) worker with tank fire, having previously denied responsibility, in an incident in the Gaza Strip last month.
After a UN staff member was killed when a UN compound in Deir al-Balah was damaged on 19 March, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had not struck the site.
But the IDF said on Thursday that the initial findings of its investigation into the incident indicated its troops had in fact killed the UN worker after wrongly identifying the building as containing an "enemy presence".
It said in a statement: "The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility."
These preliminary findings have been shared with the UN and the full conclusion will also be provided, it said.
It added: "The IDF regrets this serious incident and continues to conduct thorough review processes to draw operational lessons and evaluate additional measures to prevent such events in the future.
"We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family."
The incident, which killed Bulgarian UN worker Marin Valev Marinov and seriously injured five other UN personnel, came a day after Israel renewed its offensive against Hamas after a two-month ceasefire collapsed.
At the time, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for a full investigation into the incident, while a spokesperson said: "The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability."
Following the attack, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) said that "explosive ordnance was dropped or fired" at a guesthouse, which was in an "isolated" location. Its executive director, Jorge Moreira da Silva, said it was "not an accident".
The IDF said in a statement on the day of the attack: "Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike a UN compound in Deir el-Balah. The IDF calls on media outlets to act with caution regarding unverified reports."
Footage verified by the BBC showed injured people - two wearing blue UN flak jackets - arriving at a hospital in an ambulance and a UN car.
Red Cross outraged over killing of medics by Israeli forces in Gaza
Separately, the IDF said earlier this week that "professional failures" had led to the killing of 15 emergency workers in an incident in Gaza last month.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says at least 1,978 people have been killed since Israel renewed its offensive on the territory, with at least 50 reported killed by Israeli strikes on Thursday.
Israel says it is putting military pressure on Hamas to release the 59 hostages it is still holding, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
It has also blocked all deliveries of humanitarian aid and other supplies to Gaza for seven weeks. The UN says this is "further depriving people of the means for survival and undermining every aspect of civilian life".
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 51,300 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
After WW1 and 2, the League of Nations and United Nations made decisions on how the broken Ottoman Empire should be split up. 15-20 new Arab nations were created for Ishmael, but only one for Isaac. Were the new boundaries "fair"? Was everyone "happy"? Of course not. Not 100% But they accepted it and Moved On.
ReplyDeleteThe Arabs in Saudi Arabia accepted their new boundary
The Iraqi Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Jordanian Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Syrian Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Lebanese Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Yemenese Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Omanese Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Kuwaitese Arabs accepted their new boundary
The Iranians (not Arabs) accepted their new boundary
Turkey, the home of the Ottomans, accepted their new boundary, and mind you they lost 90% of their EMPIRE, but hey....
YOU LOST THE WAR and WARS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
The various Emirates Arabs accepted their new boundary
Moroccans, Libyans, Tunisians, Libyans, Egyptians etc etc all accepted their new boundaries.
Only the Palestinian Arabs think they are so privileged, rejected their new boundary. Why is that? Let me sagest: Isaac involved.
Where the fart do u get this piece of mfering lie
Delete"the League of Nations and United Nations made decisions on how the broken Ottoman Empire should be split up. 15-20 new Arab nations were created for Ishmael, but only one for Isaac"
Wikipedia?
Or zionists fart chamber soiled papers!
BTW, the war between Palestine & zionist state has not finished yet. So, who the f*ck r u to determine that the zionist state won?
The latest offer from the terrorists to release ALL remaining hostages for total IDF withdrawal from Gaza is alarming. The terrorists realize they don't need a few dozen problematic hostages when they have 2 million Gazan civilians to burrow deeper and hide within. To neutralize the remaining terrorists will be costly. Very costly.
ReplyDeleteCan u recommend that the zionist state ships log, stock & barrel all the way to whichever country is willing to let them setup a state?
DeleteThis will TOTALLY eliminate war(s) in ME!
Should be no problem. 147 out of 193 countries recognize Palestine, especially Russia with so much land they can donate one oblast or krai, especially the 1,000,000 sq km they rampassed from Old Bullyland Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the Century of Humiliation and never returned. Old Bullyland too recognize Palestine, so can absorb 6 million in Xinjiang province.
DeleteOr does "recognize" talk only?
agreed - send the Shailoks there and peace will return to the ME
DeleteThe zionists did want a piece of land from China to built their mfering zionist state after the WWII.
DeleteJewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) established by the Soviet government in 1934 in a sparsely populated area of Russia. This region, also known as Birobidzhan.
Prior to 1858, this area of the JAO was ruled by a succession of Chinese imperial dynasties. In 1858, the northern bank of the Amur River, including the territory of today's JAO, was split away from the Qing Chinese territory of Manchuria and became incorporated into the Russian Empire pursuant to the Treaty of Aigun (1858) and the Convention of Peking (1860).
After the WWII, the zionists had targeted the JAO & the adjacent Heilongjiang land to be intended as a Jewish homeland.
In fact they tried to bribed the local Chinese government to alienate that piece of territory. All to no avail due to the civil war between Komintang & CCP.
147 out of 193 countries recognize Palestine, yet Palestine isn't recognized as a sovereign state to sit in UN as a member.
As of June 2024, the zionist state of Israel is recognized as a sovereign state by 164 of the other 192 member states of the United Nations.
Many UN member states r hostile to the existence of Israel. Yet, they have to accept it due to pommie, yank & old Europe nations.
If the zionist state has to exist completely out fro ME, then USofA is its best choice, followed by pommieland & then old Europe. Old Europe last bcoz most of the zionist state pioneers were rejects from that place.