From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 11, 2024
IDF commander censured over demolition of Gaza university without proper approval
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The commander of the 99th Division, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, has been formally censured for the demolition of a university in the Gaza Strip earlier this year without the proper approval, the IDF says.
The IDF in response to a query says the demolition of Israa University in January and the approval process of the controlled explosion was “thoroughly investigated” by the head of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, and presented to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
“The investigation revealed that the Hamas terror organization used the building and its surroundings for military activity against our forces, but the process of collapsing the building was done without the required approvals,” the IDF says.
جيش الاحتلال يقوم بتفجير جامعة فلسطين في غزة بواسطة 315 لغم pic.twitter.com/aemM8Ezh5C
— Hisham Abu Shaqrah | هشام أبو شقرة (@HShaqrah) January 17, 2024
Hiram did not ask permission from the head of the Southern Command to demolish the building, as he would have been required for sensitive sites such as universities.
The IDF says Finkelman rebuked the division commander over the incident.
The IDF also says the incident will continue to be examined by the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents amid the war.
Unrelated controversy currently surrounds Hiram over his order to fire a tank shell at a home in the southern community of Be’eri amid a hostage situation during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, possibly killing some of the captives.
Before the war, Hiram was tapped to be the next commander of the Gaza Division.
