US asks Israel to probe video showing Israeli drone killing 4 Palestinian civilians

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Saturday said that the leaked video showing an Israeli drone targeting four unarmed Palestinians in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, called on Israel to investigate “credible allegations of law of war violations.”

Asked about the video, a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu that the “contents of the video are disturbing.”

⁠“We have not verified the footage, but we have asked the Israelis for more information and an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

⁠“Israel has an obligation to investigate credible allegations of law of war violations and ensure appropriate accountability to prevent any violations from recurring.”

The scenes aired by Al Jazeera were reportedly captured from an Israeli drone in Khan Younis in February, showing the pursuit of the four Palestinian youth and their targeting with several missiles.

Two of them were killed with the first missile, then the third and fourth were killed with two more missiles.

It is clear from the footage that the four civilians did not carry weapons and did not pose any threat.

After two youths were killed in the first hit, the third boy was seen moving away from the targeted site. But the drone followed and bombed him.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it launched a probe into the footage aired by Al Jazeera.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.