Israel admits killed Palestinian allegedly carrying rocket launcher actually carrying bicycle

By Enes Canli, Abdel Ra'ouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army admitted that the Palestinian man it killed for allegedly 'carrying a rocket launcher' was actually carrying a bicycle.

On Sunday, the Israeli army published drone footage of a drone targeting two men walking among the rubble in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming that one of them was carrying a rocket launcher.

In response to a question from an Anadolu reporter, the Israeli army spokesperson's unit admitted that the Palestinian they killed for allegedly carrying a rocket launcher was actually carrying a bicycle.

The spokesperson's unit said that the area is a war zone, and army units have fought many clashes with armed Hamas-affiliated elements there.

It claimed that armed elements in the area previously used the route targeted by the Israeli drone to smuggle weapons and carry out attacks.

Apologizing for the incident, the office stated that it was an "erroneous conclusion."

The unit claimed the Israeli army identified the cyclist as someone carrying a rocket launcher and sought to justify the attack as an immediate response to the situation.

*Writing by Muhammed Yasin Gungor from Istanbul