Israel closes probe against officer who ordered "revenge shelling" of Gaza clinic

Israel's military said Tuesday it will take no legal actions against an officer who ordered a "revenge shelling" of a Gaza clinic during Israel's 2014 offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

The Military Advocate General said in a statement that battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Neria Yeshurun will only be reprimanded. No charges will be made, according to the statement.

On July 23, 2014, Yeshurun instructed his soldiers to "shoot a fusillade" at a clinic in the neighborhood of Shuja'iyya in northern Gaza Strip to honor and salute" Dmitri Levitas, 26, a captain that was killed by Palestinian fire a day before.

Israeli media widely published an audio record of his address and sounds of the shooting.

The military statement said that Yeshurun's conduct "doesn't accord with the Israel Defense Forces' values and his remark constitute a failure of command."

However, the statement added that the investigation didn't yield enough evidence to press criminal charges.

According to the military, Gaza militants used the clinic for "terrorist" purpose and there were no injuries or casualties in the assault.

But the Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported that at least five people were killed, four of them were civilians, and 45 people were injured in the hours following the attack.

Israel went on a 51-day military campaign in Gaza in July-August, citing rocket fire from the enclave at Israel's southern communities.

The offensive claimed the lives of at least 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Over 10,000 people were displaced and great damages were caused to structures and infrastructure.

Nearly 80 Israelis died in the war, over 70 of whom were soldiers operating in the strip, and less than a dozen Israelis were killed in rocket attacked propelled by Hamas and other Gaza militants against Israeli communities. Endit