Israeli military says incident under review; IDF rejects civilian-targeting allegations
Mohammad Abdul Zinati was walking home from school through the rubble of Salah Khalaf Street in northern Gaza City on Friday afternoon when he stopped at a supermarket where a group of classmates and friends had gathered, The Guardian reported. Shortly before 3:30 p.m., an explosion tore through the air. When the smoke and dust cleared, a man lay bleeding on the dusty road, badly wounded but still alive, calling for help. The wounded man was a medical worker, according to the Guardian.
Abdul Zinati ran toward the wounded medical worker. He did not hear the shouts of his cousin, who had spotted an approaching Israeli drone, the newspaper reported. Within seconds, the drone released a glide bomb — a weapon designed to allow operators to identify and strike targets with a high degree of accuracy, according to The Guardian. The newspaper characterized the attack as a “double-tap” strike, a pattern in which an initial explosion is followed by a second strike that targets those who came to help the first victims.
The Guardian said it verified footage of the attack and spoke to witnesses and weapons experts in an effort to shed light on the latest Israeli strike to kill a child in Gaza.
The Israeli military said the incident was under review. The Israel Defense Forces has repeatedly rejected allegations that it deliberately targets civilians, saying it assesses and takes into account the risk of civilian harm when carrying out strikes.