Ilan Malka: Case Closed

IDF Military Advocate General: No measures against Col. Ilan Malka for the event in which 21 Palestinians died during Cast Lead

Ilan Malka: Case Closed

Case closed: the IDF’s Military Advocate General, Brigadier General Danny Efroni, announced that no actions will be taken against Colonel Ilan Malka for the deaths of 21 Palestinians of the same family during operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

Malka, who commanded the Givati Brigade at the time, is currently serving as the operations officer for the IDF’s Northern Command. His promotion was halted since the start of the investigation. Now, with the closing of the case, it is possible that Malka will be swiftly promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

The affair started when several complaints were filed to the military advocacy pertaining to attacks that took place in the Zeitun neighborhood in Gaza on January 5, 2009. Twenty-one Palestinians who were uninvolved in the fighting were killed in the attacks.

Malka claimed at the time that he instructed the forces to attack in order to prevent his soldiers, who were operating in the field, from getting hurt.