MOSCOW, Oct. 31 The Israeli army (IDF) said about the “unclear circumstances” of the shooting of a car with civilians from an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Earlier, eyewitnesses said that an Israeli tank shot at a car carrying civilians in the Gaza Strip during an attempt by Palestinians to leave from north to south, killing three people.
“The circumstances are unclear, and the video does not provide a complete picture of the tactical situation or the circumstances leading up to the incident,” the publication quoted the Israeli army as saying.
As the newspaper notes, earlier IDF spokesman Nir Dinar said that the military was not provided with evidence that there was a civilian vehicle in front of them. However, then the army said that Dinar had misspoke. The IDF statement said in part that the agency «does not operate under the assumption that anyone who approaches is a combatant, and has clear orders by all available means… to verify before opening fire that the potential threat or combatant is not a civilian face.»
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took hostages. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.4 thousand people were killed, including 300 military personnel, and more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip, according to the local Ministry of Health, exceeded 8 thousand people, half of whom were children, over 18 thousand were injured. As the conflict escalates, at least 20 Russians have died, three are believed to be held hostage, and several more remain missing. According to various sources, more than 200 Israelis are being held captive by Hamas.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.