In A Rare Move, Israel Apologized To The UN For Bombing Its Building In Gaza And Killing A UN Worker
Israel said it had fired at the building as there was “suspicion of enemy forces in it,” adding its forces had not identified the building as one belonging to the UN.
In a rare move, Israel has apologized to the United Nations after it admitted it “mistakenly” attacked a UN facility in Gaza on March 19 and killed a UN worker.
After Israel unilaterally ended the nearly two-month-long ceasefire in Gaza on March 18 and proceeded to kill more than 400 Palestinians in less than 24 hours, it exploded two UN guest houses in Deir El-Balah the next day, killing a Bulgarian UN worker, Marin Valev Marinov, and injuring five others.
Israel initially denied its involvement in the attack and accused Hamas members of taking shelter at UN compounds, according to The New York Times.
On Thursday, April 24, Israel issued an official apology to the UN, saying its investigation found that an Israeli forces tank operating in the area fired a shell at the building.
It said it had fired at the building as there was “suspicion of enemy forces in it,” adding its forces had not identified the building as one belonging to the UN, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel’s admission comes just less than a week after it also admitted it killed 15 medics and humanitarian workers in Gaza due to an “operational misunderstanding.”
Bulgaria said it had received an official apology from Israel and stressed the need to protect humanitarian workers.
A UN spokesman said the Israeli military knows the location of the UN compound that it attacked, as well as the locations of all UN structures in Gaza, adding that there should be accountability for all the times Israel attacked and killed UN workers.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 294 UN workers in Gaza, the UN reported.
Under International Humanitarian Law, also known as the rules of war, attacking aid workers constitutes war crimes, particularly if they are part of a systematic pattern.
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Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
