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Bomb Explosion, Not Tank Fire, Caused Palestinian Casualties

(IDF) Lt. Col. Moshe of the Givati Brigade spoke Thursday about the IDF activity in Jabaliya in Gaza: •During the evacuation of the IDF forces, one of the tanks got stuck and we had to establish a continuous perimeter watch. One of the security vehicles was placed in a narrow alleyway lined with buildings. Suddenly, a bomb exploded from one of the shops and blew off the heavy iron door of the vehicle. We were lucky that it was an armored vehicle and no one was wounded. •The IDF forces were right next to a store. It is obvious that we would not fire at the store point blank with tank shells. The control over the firing of the shells belongs solely to the commander and we know how to react in every situation, what to fire upon with shells and when. A tank commander will only fire if he receives an order from the battalion commander or if his life is in danger and firing is the only way to combat the danger. I was the battalion commander at that moment. •We fired a shell a moment later, after the explosion, into an adjacent alley where an RPG rocket was threatening the tank. However, this was only done after the incident where the bomb detonated inside the store. It was a powerful bomb that created a great blaze in the store and even, in our opinion, caused the walls to collapse and the ceiling to cave in. I imagine that many civilians were injured from that. •Even this morning we encountered a number of situations in which we saw armed terrorists near unarmed people and refrained from shooting. This happens often. Usually the armed terrorists cynically exploit innocent civilians and children who want no part in the terror. We only fire if we are certain that we will only hit armed terrorists...but the nature of the battle is such that nothing is certain. The moment you leave there are always more armed terrorists appearing from alleyways and rooftops. •Tank battalion commander Lt. Col. Dotan said it is impossible that a tank shell hit the store in Jabaliya. "The firing of tank shells requires many permits, this is the way we prevent damage. The command to fire is given only in the event of a life-threatening danger," he said.
2003-03-07 00:00:00
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