Israeli military says strike on Deir el-Balah compound that killed eight civilians targeted a PIJ military compound
By ANNA AHRONHEIMFILE PHOTO: Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu Al-Ata attends an anti-Israel military show at Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, June 20, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED SALEM/FILE PHOTO)
The Israeli military has released findings of the investigation into Operation Black Belt, two days of heavy fighting in November between the IDF and Palestinian Islamic Jihad following the targeted assassination of senior militant Bahaa abu Al-Ata.The findings of the investigation which focused on the preparation processes, related defensive plans, intelligence, firepower and efforts by the homefront were accepted by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi last week who concluded that the operation had achieved its goal.According to the military, the main takeaway of the military investigation found that the operation “achieved its defined objectives” of “improving conditions in the Gaza Strip by targeting Baha Abu Al-Ata, dealing terror operatives of the Islamic Jihad and its military infrastructure a significant blow, reducing the damage caused to Israeli civilians, and lastly, avoiding a wider military campaign.”During some 50 hours of fighting during the operation, over 400 rockets were fired by the Iranian-backed terror group, 90% of those fired towards residential areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome.During the two days of fighting, some 25 PIJ operatives taking part in rocket fire and other more complex terror attacks against Israel were killed and some 100 targets belonging to the group were struck by Israel.“As a result of this operation, which was based on complex and intensive intelligence preparation processes undertaken in recent months, significant damage was done to the PIJ,” the army said.As part of the investigations, the strike which killed eight members of the A-Sawarkah family, including five children, were killed in the bombing of their home in Deir al-Balah was also investigated.According to the investigation, the compound was approved by the Southern Command last June and vetted several times later (lastly just days prior to the operation) as an active military compound used by the PIJ with military activity being conducted in the compound in the past as well as during the two days of fighting during Operation Black Belt.The investigation also stated that when planning and carrying out the attack, it was estimated that no civilians will be harmed as a result of it. Nevertheless, the investigation clarified that even though military activity was conducted in the compound, it was not a closed compound, and in reality civilians were present there.According to the military, the investigation focused on actions “that could have brought forward information about civilian activity in the compound, in addition to the military activity that was carried out in the compound.”
The conclusion of the investigation gave several recommendations with the aim of reducing, as much as possible, the recurrence of similar “irregular events,” the military said.Nevertheless, according to the Israeli military, fire power during the fighting was precise and efforts were made to reduce the civilian casualties while the PIJ “exploited the civilian population by placing its military assets in the heart of the civilian population and by deliberately acting from within densely populated civilian areas.”
