The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Thursday that its troops shelled a United Nations (UN) building in Gaza last month and killed a UN staff member.
The IDF denied accusations until its General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body investigating unusual war incidents, looked into it. As military reports, the initial findings were presented to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and UN representatives. According to them, an IDF tank which was operating in the area targeted the UN building in Deir al-Balah on March 19 on "suspicion of an enemy force in it." Further investigation showed that the tank crew did not identify the building as the UN facility.
The IDF said it "regrets this serious incident" and will continue with a thorough review process to "draw operational lessons and evaluate additional measures to prevent such events in the future."
