World, Middle East

Israel acknowledges killing 8 Gaza family members

Israeli army claimed that it assessed the building in the Deir al-Balah neighborhood was empty

Abdelraouf Arna'out  | 15.11.2019 - Update : 16.11.2019
Israel acknowledges killing 8 Gaza family members Funeral ceremony of Rasmi Abu Malhous al Savarika, one of the commanders of military wing of Islamic Jihad, and seven members of his family including children, killed by Israeli airstrikes over Gaza, is held in Deir al Balah, Gaza on November 14, 2019. ( Ali Jadallah - Anadolu Agency )

JERUSALEM

The Israeli military on Thursday acknowledged that it “made a mistake” in targeting a building in the Gaza City on Wednesday, which led to the killing of eight members of a same family.

Quoting an Israeli army spokesman, the daily Haaretz reported: “the army assessed the building in the Deir al-Balah neighborhood was empty.”

The spokesperson said the army is investigating the airstrike that took place few hours before the cease-fire came into effect on Thursday morning.

Following the airstrike, the Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee had claimed that the airstrike targeted Rasmi Asoarka, a prominent Islamic Jihad figure.

The two-day escalation left 34 Palestinians dead -- most of them civilians -- and hundreds of others injured.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.