Israel Defense Forces released video on Friday showing a young girl climbing onto a Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation post on the border with the Gaza Strip, causing a tank unit to delay its attack by a few minutes.
Video last Friday afternoon, August 5, showed a young Palestinian girl climbing the stairs of the terrorist group’s post before a grown man escorted her away.
The IDF said the 82nd Battalion, 7th Armored Brigade was to hit the site as part of the opening strikes of Operation Breaking Dawn, which targeted the terrorist group’s commander in northern Gaza, several border posts and squads preparing to attack.
“After receiving orders to fire on enemy positions, the tank crew noticed a young girl and another man standing near the target,” said Major “Bet,” a company commander identified by initials only can of his Hebrew name.
“The tank commander radioed the presence of bystanders in the area and stopped the fire,” he said.
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“We waited for them to leave and after a few minutes the tank destroyed the target,” he added. Video showed the site being destroyed and a PIJ agent who was manning it being killed.
The video was released as part of the military’s bid to highlight its efforts to avoid harming civilians.
Throughout the operation, the IDF attempted to bolster the legitimacy of its campaign. During the three-day battle, the army said it delayed a deadly attack on senior PIJ commander Khaled Mansour several times after identifying children playing in the area.
A video showed aerial surveillance of the home while Israeli officials heard them speak. Circles mark the children playing around the house where Mansour resided. According to the military, the strike was postponed twice more due to the presence of children whose footage was included in the video.
In another video, the IDF showed delaying an attack on a PIJ target to avoid injuring a nearby civilian.
See what happened when the Israeli Air Force spotted a civilian next to an Islamic Jihad terrorist target in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/1noCdo1cH5
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 7, 2022
Palestinian terrorists fired 1,175 rockets at Israel between last Friday and Sunday night, as part of a flare-up between the sides. According to the IDF, around 200 rockets missed their target in the Gaza Strip, some killing Palestinians.
The IDF said it hit 170 targets with fighter jets, armed drones, gunships and artillery.
The targets included 17 observation posts (six of which were manned by PIJ agents), 45 rocket and mortar launch sites, eight military storage sites, eight weapons storage sites, six weapons production facilities, three targets related to the PIJ’s naval force, and an “assault tunnel”. .”
Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip said 48 people were killed in the fighting, including 17 children, but did not say how many of the total killed were linked to terrorist groups. At least 15 deaths have been reported as involving members of the PIJ, Hamas and another smaller terrorist group.
The Israeli military believes about 16 people, including 12 children, were killed by rockets misfired by Palestinian terrorists who landed near Gaza.
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