Gaza medic deaths Latest in long history of Israel changing its story

The Israel Defense Forces' changing account of its killing of 15 Palestinian medics and civil defense workers last month is part of a long familiar pattern in high-profile cases involving the deaths of civilians.

- Peter Beaumont

Often, at first, the IDF denies involvement. Sometimes, in the context of Gaza, it initially suggests one of Hamas's own rockets fell short, causing the casualties.

Otherwise, it might allege that those killed were either combatants themselves, or collateral damage from the targeting of combatants.

When evidence challenges the Israeli military's account, history shows the IDF then changes its story to suggest the circumstances are not the result of military orders or systemic issues but a "mistake" or - rarely - individual, but not organizational, culpability.

The case of the Gaza medics is only the latest incident when Israel has altered its account of a high-profile killing. The killing of the celebrated Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering a protest on the West Bank in 2022 saw a similar shifting of explanations.