The IDF submitted its findings on Friday regarding the humanitarian aid convoy catastrophe late last month wherein dozens of Palestinians were killed in a giant crush while attempting to get aid.
The Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, presented the findings of the command review regarding the sequence of events to the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, on Tuesday.
The command review found that IDF troops did not fire at the humanitarian convoy but did fire at a number of suspects who approached the nearby forces and posed a threat to them.
The command review reveals that while the trucks were traveling toward the distribution centers, a crowd of about 12,000 Gazans gathered around them and looted the equipment they were transporting.
IDF launched warning shots against looters
Amidst looting, dozens of Gazans also advanced toward IDF troops posing threats to forces standing by, leading to cautionary fire for deterrence purposes.
It was unclear if the associated Palestinians had aggressive intentions or were civilians caught up in a chaotic moment.IDF sources suggested no special rules were limiting live fire against such civilians in the context of a humanitarian operation or whether the forces could have retreated backward, citing that the area was still a war zone.
The investigation is expected to be continued by an independent examination body, the Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM). FFAM is expected to independently come to conclusions on the incident.
Joanie Margulies, Keshet Neev, and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.