The Israeli military admitted Thursday that it mistakenly killed a Hamas operative near the Gaza border who was trying to restrain Palestinian youths from crossing over the security fence.
An initial IDF probe revealed that, contrary to the procedures, the soldier responsible for the shooting did not receive authorization to open fire from senior command. The soldier apparently believed that he was allowed to open fire because he was under the impression that the border fence was about to be breached.
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"An initial inquiry suggests that a Hamas operative arrived at the security fence on the Israel-Gaza border where two Palestinians were wandering the area," the military said in a statement. "It appears that IDF troops who arrived at the location misidentified the Hamas operative as an armed terrorist and fired as a result," the IDF added.
The soldier is expected to be questioned amid an inquiry into the incident.
Mahmoud Ahmed Sabri al-Adham, 28 from Jabalia, sustained mortal wounds, Gaza's Health Ministry announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, confirmed in a statement that one of its operatives was "martyred by the Israeli occupation."
"The enemy fired deliberately on one of our border control personnel while fulfilling his duty. We will conduct our examinations and assessments concerning this grave crime. And we emphasize: this will not pass unnoticed and the enemy will bear the consequences," a follow-up statement warned.
The IDF targeted two observation posts in the northern and southern borders of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian media, initially injuring a Hamas field commander tasked with surveying the border for potential attempts to breach the border.
He was shot in the leg by IDF forces east of Beit Hanoun in the north, and he later died of his wounds.
Palestinian media reported that the IDF was conducting an engineering operation by the Rafah border crossing before the shooting take place.
In another unrelated incident, Israeli military boats opened fire at Palestinian fishermen boats off the northwest coast of Gaza City.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
