- The admission follows an investigation by BBC Verify
DUBAI: The Israeli military has admitted to the BBC that it carried out an airstrike on the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which reportedly killed at least one Palestinian and injured 30.
The attack took place on Sunday, shortly after an incident near a new aid distribution centre in Rafah.
BBC fact-checking unit Verify was analysing footage of the Rafah incident when it discovered a separate strike in neighbouring Khan Younis.
The video was initially thought to be related to the Rafah incident, but BBC Verify geolocated the footage to Khan Younis, 4.5km from the aid distribution site.
The Israel Defense Forces, which regularly publishes operational reports online, did not report an explosion in Khan Yunis.
When BBC Verify approached the Israeli military, they admitted they had carried out the artillery strike and said the incident was the result of “technical and operational errors.”
The military said troops were firing at a specific target but the artillery was off target and “mistakenly hit the Mawasi area” in Khan Yunis, without providing any evidence to support its claims.
The blast occurred in an area where displaced Palestinians were sheltering. Footage showed bloodied bodies surrounded by clouds of dust, the BBC reported. Women and children ran and screamed as they watched the wounded being carried away.
The broadcaster highlighted the rarity of Israeli military admissions of mistakes. BBC Verify's analysis of the official Telegram account found four previous instances of the Israeli military admitting mistakes or technical and operational errors related to the Gaza war.
