IDF opens criminal probes into military actions during Gaza op

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces has opened criminal investigations into an attack on a Gaza beach that left four children dead and an attack on a U.N. school in Gaza.

The Chief Military Advocate General, Maj.-Gen. Danny Efroni, on Wednesday announced the launch of the probes, as well as three other criminal investigations. In total, some 99 investigations into military actions during Israel’s 50-day Operation Protective Shield have been ordered, with 44 already underway, according to reports.

Some 14 Palestinians were killed in the July 24 strike on a UNRWA school in northern Gaza. The attack on the beach occurred eight days earlier and images of the dead children sprawled on the sand were widely circulated on social media.