Israeli troops who the army acknowledged had violated its own guidelines, costing the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in their 2021 military operation, got away with a reprimand, according to Haaretz on Tuesday.

Five military officers, whose names were barred from publications, violated IDF guidelines in "attacking military targets," the newspaper found. In one of the three cases in question, nine Palestinians were killed, including six civilians.

The army's investigation, however, concluded that there was no direct link between the contraventions and the deaths, which claimed the lives of a baby, a 17-year-old girl, and three women, according to the Israeli newspaper.

The incident took place on May 13, 2021, when the an artillery strike was launched in order to wrong-foot Hamas ahead of the destruction of tunnel network in the northern Gaza Strip. The investigation concluded that around 500 shells were mistakenly fired at the Bedouin area of Beit Lahiya, killing members of the Abu Fares and Ayyash families.

At the time, Haaretz called for an investigation into the incident. More than two years later, an IDF spokesperson said that a commanding officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel had been reprimanded, and that action would be taken against a reserve officer.

The Israeli military spokesman refused to disclose the details of the investigation in the other two cases, but stated that three officers were either subjected to disciplinary measures or reprimanded.