Statement by the IAF Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Omer Tischler, Addressing Misleading Claims in the Media, December 27th, 2023

Multiple claims have appeared in the media, about how the Israeli Air Force operates in Gaza.

I’m Brigadier General Omer Tischler, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Air Force. I would like to discuss some of those claims.

Since the October 7 Massacre, the Israeli Air Force has been conducting a precise, focused, and process-based campaign. I will walk you through the principles that we keep in mind, while planning operations and address misleading claims.

Our planning principles include:

1. Striking targets based on intel, and military necessity for close air support.
2. Evacuation efforts: They enable us to strike and maneuver in areas with minimal civilian presence.
3. Selecting the right munitions to minimize collateral damage: This allows us to accurately strike Hamas even though it operates within civilian areas.
4. Real-time monitoring: During the strike, we are monitoring the target area. If it does not comply with our Standard Operating Procedures, we will abort.

With these principles in mind, I will now address issues that have been seen in the media:

To start, our use of so-called “dumb bombs.” The term “dumb bombs” describes munitions that are not guided-based. These are standard munitions that are regularly used by militaries worldwide.

The claim that such munitions are indiscriminate or cause uncontrollable damage is misleading.

Even though these munitions are not GPS-guided, they are still used accurately. It is released in a specific release point calculated by the aircraft’s system to allow the pilot to strike a target accurately.

I also want to address our use of heavy munitions.

Why do we see so many craters?

Heavy munitions are detonated underground, preventing fragmentation and significantly reducing the blastwave and debris as a result.

In these strikes, the resulting crater visible in satellite images indicates that the underground detonation has actually occurred on a military target, and directly minimized damage to the surrounding areas.

Additionally, in many cases, we use small PGMs to strike targets near sensitive areas. Those targets include rocket launchers, commanders, tunnel shafts, and command and control centers, which are located throughout the Gaza Strip.

These are the principles that guide our operations.

But let me be very clear. In war, mistakes can happen. While they are exceptional, they are still made. We study them, learn from them, and make changes to our process as a result.

The Israeli Air Force, together with the Ground Forces, will continue to conduct a precise, focused, and professional campaign in accordance with international law.

To conclude, this war started after Hamas brutally attacked our people. We are fighting together in the air, at sea and on the ground according to our values, in order to defeat Hamas and bring our people home.