The Israeli army admitted today, Thursday, that its forces killed a United Nations employee, Bhav Anil Kale, a retired Indian officer, and wounded another United Nations employee, a Jordanian citizen, by shooting them in Rafah, last Monday.

The Israeli army claimed that its investigation showed that the UN employees were traveling on a forbidden street without prior coordination with the Israeli army. The Israeli army repeated its argument that an armed person was standing near them, according to the Haaretz newspaper website, which is the same argument that the army used to justify its killing of seven relief volunteers from the “Global Central Kitchen” last month.

The investigation revealed that an Israeli tank fired a missile at the UN employees and bombs were thrown at their car, noting that the UN logo was on the car, which was heading towards the Rafah crossing. It was also found that an Israeli drone identified the United Nations vehicle.

The tank was moving in the street, and requested approval from the brigade command to fire on the United Nations vehicle, then fired a shell at it. After the car stopped, Israeli soldiers launched a small march towards the car and threw two bombs at it.

The newspaper pointed out that the Israeli army cannot confirm the presence of a Palestinian gunman in the UN car, nor can it deny that the alleged gunman is another UN employee who tried to get away from the car that was the target of Israeli forces’ fire. However, the fact that no other body was found in the car or a wounded UN employee who went to receive treatment raises suspicion that there was no third person in the car, neither a UN employee nor an armed man.