English Briefing by Major (Res.) Keren Hajioff, Following the Idf Spokesperson’s Evening Statement

Excerpt from the statement on the subject of the IDF’s General Staff Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism:

"Our war is against Hamas — not against the people of Gaza.

Our intent is to defeat Hamas and secure the release of our hostages.

Hamas’s intent is the tragic suffering of civilians in Gaza and in Israel… in this war that — Hamas started.

Indeed, there are vast challenges when fighting an enemy like Hamas.

Within these excruciatingly complex circumstances, we do our best to conduct our operations as carefully and as professionally as possible.
And while our policies and procedures are in line with the law and our values, we are aware that when fighting on such a scale — there may be deviations that require further examination.

The IDF has a robust system for doing so, and it starts with the IDF’s General Staff Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism. This mechanism is independent from the forces involved in the fighting — and it has already started working on impartial examinations.

The findings of this mechanism serve the relevant bodies when deciding the necessary steps that are required, per case. When misconduct is identified, the IDF will take action. It also serves our lessons-learned process and its recommendations help mitigate the risk of exceptional incidents occurring in the future."