Israel admits to killing five children in latest Gaza assault: Report

Israel has confirmed that its air force was responsible for the killing of five children on the last day of its attacks on Gaza earlier this month, according to a media report.

Days after denying Israeli involvement in the deadly strike on Gaza that left five children dead, Israeli officials conducted an assessment and admitted that an Israeli strike killed the children, the Haaretz reported on Tuesday.  

The five victims were Jamil al-Din Nijm, 3; Jamil Ihab Nijm, 13; Mohammad Nijm, 16; Hamed Nijm, 16; and Nathmi Karsh, 15. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, three of them had participated in a support programme for trauma victims in Gaza. 

Israeli army spokesperson’s unit said that during the three days of fighting, the army "made every reasonable effort to minimise, insofar as possible, harm to civilians and civilian property.” 

The unit added that the Israeli army investigates all its actions during the operation, the Haaretz said. 

Ceasefire 

The Palestinian death toll from recent Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza enclave has risen to 48 after an 11-year-old girl and a man died from wounds they suffered during the worst Israeli aggression in over a year.

An eventual ceasefire took hold on August 6, bringing an end to the Israeli aggression and counter-rocket strikes that continued for three days. 

No Israelis were killed but around 70 were wounded, according to the United Nations. 

READ MORE: Death toll from Israeli aggression on Palestine's Gaza climbs