IDF Rules Strike on Holy Family Church as 'Unintentional'
The results of an internal investigation by Israel Defense Forces were made public on Wednesday.
GAZA — The Israeli military has officially ruled last week's strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church, which killed three people and injured 10 others, as accidental.
Immediately following the strike last Thursday, Israel put out a statement saying that it "deeply regrets" the shelling which was a result of "stray ammunition."
After an internal inquiry, the IDF has stuck to its initial story, "determining that troops had struck the church 'due to an unintentional deviation of munitions,'" reporting from NBC states. It also did not say that any of the soldiers involved would be punished.
Interestingly, the IDF acknowledged that the impact of the strike "caused damage to the structure" and "injured several Gazan civilians," but made no mention of the three people who were killed.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said last week that he had doubts about whether the strike was truly an accident as the Israeli military said. Catholic sources also expressed their belief that the strike may have been retaliation after religious leaders went to the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh just a few days earlier to condemn attacks by Israeli settlers and call the Israeli government to accountability.
According to the IDF, adjustments have been made to "improve the accuracy of fire" and that "guidelines for opening fire near religious buildings, shelters, and other sensitive sites were further clarified." When asked about those adjustments and further clarifications, an IDF spokesperson did not elaborate to the media.
Local sources allege that IDF soldiers intentionally aimed at the cross atop the church using a 120 millimeter MP-T shell fired from a Merkava 4 tank, a series of main battle tanks used by the IDF. Due to the technology the tanks are equipped with, it is reasonable to question the claim that the strike was "inaccurate" or "unintentional."
Previously, UOJ reported that Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa called the situation in Gaza a "moral catastrophe" following a pastoral visit.
