Lerner further explained that the Military Advocate General concluded that the attack on Gaza Beach on July 16, 2014, accorded with Israeli domestic law and international law requirements. These included taking various precautionary measures, “aimed to prevent any harm to civilians.”
The tragic outcome of the attack does not negate the fact that the IDF followed all reasonable measures in this situation. For this reason, the investigation into this incident has been closed. There will not be any criminal or disciplinary actions taken against those who were involved in the incident.
The results of the investigation mirror the statement the IDF made to the AFP on the day of the incident: “Based on preliminary results, the target of this strike was Hamas terrorist operatives. The reported civilian casualties from this strike are a tragic outcome.”
Lerner also related that despite the absence of blame in this incident, “the IDF has been working to improve a number of its operational capabilities, including technological capabilities, in order to minimize the risk of the recurrence of tragic incidents of this kind.”