Israeli army admits UN staffer was killed by its Troops in Gaza

The Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces were responsible for the death of a United Nations worker in the Gaza Strip last month, reversing earlier denials of involvement.

The admission comes following an internal investigation into the March 19 incident, which left one UN staff member dead and five others injured.

Initially, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated it had not targeted the UN compound in Deir al-Balah, where the incident occurred.

However, in a statement released on Thursday, the IDF revealed that its troops mistakenly fired on the building after wrongly identifying it as housing hostile forces.

"The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility," the IDF said.

According to the army, these initial findings have been shared with the United Nations, and a complete report will be provided in due course.

The IDF expressed regret over the event, describing it as a serious incident, and pledged to conduct further reviews to prevent similar occurrences.

"The IDF regrets this serious incident and continues to conduct thorough review processes to draw operational lessons and evaluate additional measures to prevent such events in the future. We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family," the statement added.

The UN worker who lost his life was identified as Bulgarian national Marin Valev Marinov.

The compound targeted in the attack was being used as a guesthouse and was located in what the UN described as an "isolated" area.

In addition to the fatality, five other UN personnel sustained serious injuries in the strike.

The attack happened just one day after the breakdown of a two-month ceasefire, which saw Israel resume its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

At the time of the strike, the United Nations had called for a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

"The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability," a spokesperson for UN Secretary General António Guterres said following the incident.

Footage later verified by the BBC showed wounded individuals, two of whom wore blue UN vests, being transported to a hospital in a UN-marked vehicle.

The same day, the IDF had denied involvement, stating: “Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike a UN compound in Deir el-Balah.

The IDF calls on media outlets to act with caution regarding unverified reports.”

UNOPS, the UN Office for Project Services, said “explosive ordnance was dropped or fired” at the compound.

Its executive director, Jorge Moreira da Silva, firmly stated the strike was "not an accident."

Separately, the IDF admitted earlier this week that “professional failures” were to blame for the deaths of 15 emergency workers in a different incident in Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in the territory continues to worsen.

The UN has condemned Israel’s continued blockade of humanitarian aid and supplies into Gaza, saying it is "further depriving people of the means for survival and undermining every aspect of civilian life."

Since Israel renewed its offensive, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports that at least 1,978 people have died, with more than 50 killed by Israeli strikes on Thursday alone.

Israel says its military operations are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages from the October 7, 2023, attack. Of those hostages, 24 are believed to still be alive.

That cross-border assault by Hamas last October claimed the lives of around 1,200 people and saw 251 others kidnapped.

The Israeli military responded with a sustained campaign in Gaza, which, according to the territory’s health authorities, has since resulted in over 51,300 deaths.