Israeli air force chief blasts allegations of ‘indiscriminate’ bombing in Gaza

IDF has done its utmost to minimize collateral damage, Israel Air Force chief says, rejecting claims Israel has engaged in the ‘indiscriminate’ bombing of Gazans.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s air force has gone above and beyond in its efforts to avoid collateral damage while still destroying the Hamas terrorist organization’s military capabilities, the chief of the Israel Air Force said Wednesday, pushing back on accusations abroad that Israel has engaged in the “indiscriminate” bombing of Gazans.

In a video statement released Wednesday, Brig. Gen. Omer Tischler defended the IAF’s handling of the air campaign since October 7th, noting the air force has procedures in place to minimize the risk to civilians, even as the Israeli military operates in the densely populated Gaza Strip.

“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,” Tischler, said.

Over the past several weeks, Israel has come under increasing pressure from several Western European nations, including Britain and France, to limit civilian casualties in Gaza, and to strive for a permanent ceasefire with Hamas.

The U.S. has similarly urged Israel to reduce its ground and air campaign in Gaza – calling the shift “phasing,” – limiting its operations to small-scale strikes and commando raids targeting Hamas leaders.

Israel’s critics, including a growing number of congressional Democrats in the U.S.,  have accused the IDF of indiscriminately bombing Gaza, an accusation Tischler addressed in his statement Wednesday.

“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.”

Regarding Israel’s use of unguided, or “dumb bombs,” Tischler said that 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.”

“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 (precision-guided munitions) 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.”

“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.”