Israel blames 'wrong munitions' for deaths of 86 at refugee camp

ISRAEL says it "regrets" the "extensive collateral damage" caused when it bombed a refugee camp on Christmas Eve, killing at least 86 people.

- Mark Reynolds

A military official yesterday said its jets used "the wrong munition" while targeting two Hamas strongholds next to the Maghazi camp in central Gaza, accidentally hitting other buildings.

The Israel Defence Forces spokesman said: "The type of munition did not match the nature of the attack, causing extensive collateral damage that could have been avoided."

He added the IDF "regrets the harm to uninvolved individuals, and is working to draw lessons from the incident".

The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 86 died in Sunday's bombardment. The UN said the death toll was still rising.