"The inquiry as well as documented footage conclude that a single errant mortar landed in the courtyard of the (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) UNRWA school in Beit Hanun when it was completely empty," an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said.
The army said the findings are a result of a "comprehensive inquiry" of the events on Thursday, in which Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles at IDF troops near the school and the IDF responded by firing mortars. Some 16 people, mostly women and children, were killed in the school and dozens wounded.
"The IDF stresses it does not operate or target international organizations in the Gaza Strip," the spokesperson added.
Earlier on Sunday evening, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner suggested that the victims of the attack might have been caught in the crossfire or hit by rockets or mortars fired by Palestinian militants, the Times of Israel website reported.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack on Thursday, saying it "underscores the imperative for the killing to stop and to stop now."
UN inspectors announced on Tuesday that they discovered rockets stashed at the UNRWA school "in the course of routine inspection," which follows a similar discovery at another school a week before. They condemned the incidents and the endangerment of civilians.
- On Sunday night, U.S. President Barack Obama talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying there is a " strategic imperative" to reach an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire, which would turn into a permanent one like the agreement reached in November 2012 after Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense, the Ha'aretz daily reported.
- The Ha'aretz daily also reported late Sunday that Israeli military forces in Gaza were instructed to halt their fire in the next several days unless fired upon.
Israel's Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip entered its 20th day on Sunday. Netanyahu claimed the operation aims at stopping rocket attacks from Gaza and handling the tunnels which Israel says have been used by militants to carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and military.
According to Palestinian health officials, some 1,034 Palestinians have been killed, over 70 percent being civilians, and more than 6,233 wounded, while 43 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground operation and three Israeli civilians died in rocket attacks against southern Israel.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/07/28/ARTI1406511647648132.shtml
28/7/14
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The IDF said it completed an investigation into the shelling on Thursday of an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, and found that Hamas terrorists fired at the army from within the school complex....
ReplyDeleteThe terrorists fired anti-tank missiles at soldiers, the army added.
The IDF fired several mortar rounds in response. One IDF mortar fell in a yard near the school, which was empty, according to the military.
"In light of the results of the investigation, claims that people were harmed inside school grounds, as presented after the incident by some, have been ruled out. The IDF regrets every harm to civilians in combat, but stresses again that this is the sad result of Hamas's decision to use the civilian sphere as a human shield," the army said.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Hamas-fired-anti-tank-missile-from-UNRWA-school-yard-was-empty-when-IDF-responded-army-says-369114