An Israeli military official says the target of Tuesday’s attack on a five-story building that Gaza health officials reported resulted in scores of deaths was a spotter with binoculars in the building, and that the intent was not to destroy the structure.
The military official agreed to provide details only on condition of anonymity, citing military protocol and the ongoing investigation into the incident.
The official said Wednesday the building was not known to be a shelter for civilians, and that it collapsed as a result of the strike on the spotter.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday that at least 70 people were killed in the first of two strikes on the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, and that more than half of the victims were women and children. The Israeli military had earlier said it was investigating the strike. The Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty tolls do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
The official said there were discrepancies between the numbers of victims reported by authorities in Gaza and what Israeli intelligence indicates, and that the victims included known fighters. The official did not provide detailed evidence to support that assertion.
The Israeli military has repeatedly struck shelters for displaced people in recent months. It says it carries out precise strikes targeting Palestinian fighters and tries to avoid harming civilians, but the strikes often kill women and children.
