Israel Investigates Reports of Civilian Deaths by Friendly Fire on October 7

The Israeli army announced today, Tuesday, that "Israel has begun investigating potential violations of the law by its forces during Hamas's attack on October 7, following reports of possible civilian deaths of Israelis by friendly fire in the fighting." The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported that "the investigation focuses on an incident that occurred in the town of Be'eri, one of the hardest-hit locations during the attack, where a tank shelling of a house resulted in the deaths of 12 Israelis who were being held by Hamas militants." It added that "the investigation was delayed due to requirements of the ongoing war in Gaza for four months, but as the fighting has slowed, army leaders felt it was time to proceed with the investigation." In response to a question confirming that the investigation will examine the incident, the Israeli army's press office sent a statement confirming the investigation without providing further details. The army stated: "The Israeli army activates a mechanism for fact-finding and assessment to examine reports and complaints regarding violations of Israeli and international law during the fighting." It noted that "the fact-finding mission is in its early stages, but investigators have begun to collect materials." Once the investigation is complete, all materials will be submitted to the military prosecution office, which will determine whether there are grounds to open a military police investigation.