Following the IDF confirmation that two tank shells hit the Gaza home of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, killing three of his daughters and a niece, during Operation Cast Lead, Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the incident "tragic", but hailed the IDF for carrying out such a thorough investigation of the incident. "I am familiar with a lot of armies, and I think there are very few militaries in the world, if any at all...where you see such insistence in carrying out probes and [very few militaries] that see such investigations as a duty and responsibility," he told Channel 10. "I also don't know of other armies that exert so much effort in trying to prevent such things from happening."