The Israel Air Force (IAF) released a clip in which command and control can be heard communicating with a pilot sent to bomb a terrorist target in the Gaza Strip.
At the last second, operators identify two children in the vicinity of the strike and order the pilot to stand down. They were no doubt monitoring real-time surveillance provided by drones.
“There are children outside here. Stand down! Stand down!” the operators are heard telling the pilot.
“We are standing down. Red light,” another voice says over the communications network.
“יש פה ילד בחוץ, 40 מטר – חדל חדל”
במהלך תקיפת מטרות של ארגון הטרור הג’יהאד האסלאמי הפלסטיני ביממה האחרונה על ידי כלי טיס של צה״ל, זוהו שני ילדים בלתי מעורבים בטווח התקיפה. בעקבות הזיהוי, המטוס חדל את התקיפה pic.twitter.com/Oq6gSB8ak1
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 11, 2023
Israel goes out of its way to avoid collateral damage, even at the cost of missing a chance to eliminate a dangerous terrorist or enemy weapons.
Many of Wednesday’s airstrikes on Gaza were preceding by “roof knocking” – in which Israeli forces fire a dummy or dud projectile at the roof of a targeted building to give occupants a chance to flee before a live missile or bomb is released.
More often than not, this means the targeted terrorist is also able to flee before the strike occurs. But this is the price Israel is willing to pay to avoid Palestinian civilian deaths.
