Israel admits airstrike that killed 86 people at Gaza refugee camp was ‘regrettable mistake’
An airstrike that killed 86 people at a Gaza refugee camp was a “regrettable mistake”, an Israeli government spokesperson has admitted.
Eylon Levy told Sky News the incident at the Maghazi site on Christmas Eve was down to the use of an “incorrect munition” and “should not have happened”.
But he refused to apologise for the loss of life, despite being pressed several times by presenter Niall Paterson.
“We will not apologise for waging this campaign to bring the Hamas terror regime to justice,” he said.
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Mr Levy was confirming Israeli media reports that the Israel Defence Forces had admitted using the wrong munition, but said he did not know what type was used.
“Any civilian deaths are regrettable,” he said, but stressed that in war it is “inevitable that mistakes will be made”.
Mr Levy reiterated that Israel’s war against Hamas would continue until the regime surrenders and releases the remaining hostages its militants took during its attack on 7 October.
Should Hamas surrender, the war could “end tomorrow”.
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The strike on the Maghazi camp was one of the bloodiest of the conflict so far.
Footage taken by a Sky News team of the aftermath showed massive destruction, bodies dragged from beneath the rubble and the shrapnel-scarred faces of children in hospital.
Many of the dead included women and children.
The total number of people killed was reported by the UN, which Mr Levy has accused of “funnelling” civilians into “Hamas strongholds” rather than areas Israel has designated as safe.
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IDF: Soldier ‘made a mistake’ in Gaza
Israel has accused Hamas of using schools and hospitals to hide behind civilians – putting them in harm’s way.
But the Maghazi strike, which the IDF has pledged to “learn lessons” from, has added to criticism of Israel’s conduct.
The UN and human rights groups have said civilians are not being adequately protected, with Hamas health officials claiming more than 21,100 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Even in areas where Israel has told Gazans to move to for safety, attacks are taking place.
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Israeli spokesperson’s full interview with Sky News
Mr Levy insisted the Maghazi strike was an “exception” to the rule Israel does everything possible to protect civilians.
“We want civilians to go to areas where they can be protected, we do not want them inside Hamas strongholds” he added.
Israel has approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified length of time, Israeli officials say.
According to Reuters, the plan includes distributing aid, though supplies will not be let in yet.
The Israeli official told the agency that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza’s civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’s hands.
On Sunday, the United Nations rejected what it said was a new plan for aid to be distributed in what it described as Israeli hubs.
Israeli cabinet ministers approved plans for the new offensive on Monday morning, hours after it was announced that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being called up.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to achieve his goal of destroying Hamas or returning all the hostages, despite more than a year of brutal war in Gaza.
Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza. Pic: AP
Officials say the plan will help with these war aims but it would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
They said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories”.
It would also try to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza.
The UN rejected the plan, saying it would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.
It said it “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.
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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the IDF launched its ground offensive in the densely-populated territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It followed the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.
A fragile ceasefire that saw a pause in the fighting and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners collapsed earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian “masters” after the group launched a missile attack on the country’s main international airport.
A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.
“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”
Israeli police officers investigate the missile crater. Pic: Reuters
The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.
Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.
Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.
The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.
Iran’s defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary.
Israel’s military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.
Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.
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Yemen’s Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country’s missile defence systems and caused damage.
Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas.
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