Does the IDF Call Off Strikes When Civilians Appear?
IDF footage supplied to IsraelFact shows 7 strikes called off, 1 held and 10 diverted in 18 clips dated 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026.
Israel Defense Forces footage supplied to IsraelFact shows strikes called off, held or diverted in 18 clips dated on screen from 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026, the IDF’s own footage with the command exchange subtitled in English. The strike is called off in 7 clips, held in 1 and diverted in 10, and people near the target are the reason given in 15, children, minors or kids in 8 of them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on 8 December 2023 that “countless attacks have been aborted or avoided completely in order to prevent harm to civilians,” and no Israeli publication read here gives a count.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Clips of the IDF’s own strike footage, each with its own on-screen date; a set, not a sample | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
| 7 | Clips in which the strike is called off and not carried out | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 4 April 2024 to 25 September 2025 |
| 10 | Clips in which the munition is diverted away from the target | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 17 November 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
| 15 | Clips in which people near the target are the reason given | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
| 8 | Clips in which children, minors or kids are named | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 22 May 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
| 3 | Air Force strikes the IDF’s targeting presentation shows cancelled for civilians, one dated on screen | Israel Defense Forces presentation, supplied to IsraelFact | One dated 14 July 2014 |
7 clips show a strike called off before it was carried out
The IDF’s own footage shows the strike called off in 7 of the clips, as subtitled. People near the target are the reason in 6; in the seventh, on 25 September 2025, the reason given is “This is an active area.” Each clip is an excerpt of 3 to 21 seconds, not the whole engagement.
| On-screen date | The reason, in the subtitles’ words | The call |
|---|---|---|
| 4 April 2024 | “A group of people approaching” | “So abort” |
| 17 May 2024 | A person who “will probably pass close to the target during execution [of the attack], about fifty meters” | “Copy that, aborted” |
| 22 May 2024 | “a group of five people now, even more, possibly children” | “it’s an appropriate time to abort” |
| 24 May 2024 | “uninvolved [civilians]” | “We cancelled the [attack on the] target” |
| 5 July 2024 | “Two people are on the route, they could be kids” | “Abort, abort. Abort” |
| 8 August 2024 | A cyclist, then “two kids in the south” | “Copy that, we are aborting” |
| 25 September 2025 | “This is an active area” | “We will not attack” |
Source: Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact, with the English subtitles as they appear on screen.
10 clips show the munition diverted from the target
The IDF’s own footage shows the call to divert in 10 of the clips, which steers a munition away from its target rather than calling the strike off beforehand. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ May 2015 report names diverting as an option for a bomb already dropped, in recording a 2014 case in which there was “no technical possibility of diverting the bomb or aborting the attack.” The footage does not show where a diverted munition landed.
| On-screen date | The reason, in the subtitles’ words | The call |
|---|---|---|
| 17 November 2024 | “Stay away from the truck” | “Divert, don’t harm the trucks” |
| 10 December 2024 | “Isn’t that a child near him?” | “Divert, divert, divert. I diverted” |
| 25 December 2024 | “We detect a lot of people” | “Abort, abort. Abort, divert [ammunition]” |
| 13 March 2025 | “People approaching, people approaching” | “We are diverting. Divert [ammunition]” |
| 27 June 2025 | “There are two children” | “Copy that, divert [ammunition]” |
| 7 July 2025 | “There is a child here” | “Make sure we divert? Divert” |
| 11 July 2025 | “We detected many people there” | “we are diverting” |
| 28 September 2025 | None in the subtitles | “Cancel [the attack]”, then “Divert” |
| 29 May 2026 | “Watch out, a child is coming” | “we are going to divert” |
| 12 July 2026 | “Four people approaching”, then “Four minors” | “Divert [ammunition]” |
Source: Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact, with the English subtitles as they appear on screen.
1 clip shows a strike held while a passenger is confirmed
The IDF’s own footage shows the strike held in 1 clip, dated 14 August 2024, while those on the call confirm who is in a vehicle. The clip ends before any decision.
- The concern: “We suspect that there is a woman in the car with him”
- The instruction: “Stand by while we confirm”
- The reply: “Copy, we are standing by”
- Not shown: whether the strike later went ahead, was called off or was diverted
The IDF presentation shows 3 strikes cancelled for civilians
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact, shows 3 Air Force strikes “cancelled due to the presence of civilians close to the targets,” one dated on screen 14 July 2014. Its heading, in the IDF’s own words: the IDF “routinely reviews targets after the target-clearing procedures, and wherever feasible uses visual and intelligence means to ensure that the area is clear of civilians. Many strikes were cancelled due to unexpected presence of civilians.”
- “we identified civilian on the roof…” and “copy that, let’s move to the next target”, dated 14 July 2014
- “Yes.. There is civilian walking in the yard..” and “copy that, we will not strike this target now…”
- “there are probably children here.. We are stopping everything”
Pilots cancelled strikes over civilians in 2014, the Ministry states
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in its May 2015 report on the 2014 conflict that “individual pilots exercised their discretion to cancel or delay planned strikes due to the presence of civilians,” its own account of the IDF’s conduct. The same chapter sets out when attacks were cancelled or suspended, and one case in which that could not be done.
| When, on the Ministry’s account | The Ministry’s words | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| The target was not a military objective, was specially protected, or expected civilian damage was excessive | The IDF “cancelled or suspended an attack whenever it became apparent” | 315 |
| For reasons of policy | “although they were expected to be within the parameters of the rule of proportionality” | 316 |
| At the pilot’s own discretion | “to cancel or delay planned strikes due to the presence of civilians” | 316 |
| After release, on 8 July 2014 | “no technical possibility of diverting the bomb or aborting the attack”; “eight civilians lost their lives” | 328 |
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The 2014 Gaza Conflict: Factual and Legal Aspects, Chapter VI, dated May 2015.
No Israeli publication read here counts strikes called off since 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in its FAQ updated to 8 December 2023 that “countless attacks have been aborted or avoided completely in order to prevent harm to civilians,” and that “Israeli strikes that do not meet this threshold have been, and will continue to be, aborted.” “Countless” is the Ministry’s word, not a count. Absent from the IDF and Ministry publications read here:
- A count of strikes called off or suspended since 7 October 2023
- A count of munitions diverted after release
- A release by the IDF of the 18 clips on this page
Where these figures come from
The 18 clips are the IDF’s own footage, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, and the quotations reproduce the English subtitles burned into them, with their bracketed insertions. The clips are a set, not a sample, and no rate of strikes called off against strikes carried out may be drawn from them. A called-off strike is not carried out; a diverted munition is steered away, and where it landed is not shown. No clip names or describes its target, and none shows or names its location. The 2014 examples describe that conflict, not the current war.
Questions readers ask
Does the IDF abort strikes when civilians are near the target?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on 8 December 2023 that attacks are aborted “when the expected civilian harm might be greater than initially expected,” and the IDF’s own footage, supplied to IsraelFact, shows 7 strikes called off.
What does it mean when the IDF diverts a munition?
The munition is steered away from its target; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ May 2015 report records a 2014 case in which a bomb could not be diverted once it had been dropped.
How many strikes has the IDF called off in this war?
No count appears in the Israeli publications read here; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on 8 December 2023 that “countless attacks have been aborted or avoided completely.”
Did the IDF publish these clips?
The 18 clips are the IDF’s own footage, supplied to IsraelFact, and none appears in an IDF release read here.
Who wrote the English subtitles?
The subtitles are burned into the footage as supplied to IsraelFact, and no translator is credited on screen.
Are children mentioned in the footage?
Children, minors or kids are named in 8 of the 18 clips, the first dated 22 May 2024 and the last 12 July 2026.
Do any clips date from after the ceasefire?
Two clips carry on-screen dates after the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October 2025, as the IDF recorded it: 29 May 2026 and 12 July 2026, both showing a munition diverted.
What was the target in each clip?
No clip names or describes its target; the subtitles give only what was seen near it.
Why was a strike held on 14 August 2024?
The subtitles read “We suspect that there is a woman in the car with him” and “Stand by while we confirm,” and the clip ends before any decision.
Did pilots cancel strikes on their own judgment?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that in 2014 “individual pilots exercised their discretion to cancel or delay planned strikes due to the presence of civilians.”
Were strikes cancelled even when they were proportionate?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that in 2014 some “attacks were cancelled or suspended for reasons of policy, although they were expected to be within the parameters of the rule of proportionality.”
What does the IDF’s presentation say about cancelled strikes?
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact, states that “Many strikes were cancelled due to unexpected presence of civilians” and shows 3 examples, one dated 14 July 2014.
Sources
- IDF Spokesperson, Israel Defense Forces, 2025. Division 252 activity in the yellow line area, war diary. 4 November 2025. idf.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2024 to 2026. Footage of strikes called off, held or diverted, eighteen clips, on-screen dates 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own footage.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. “Process of target attack”, a presentation on targeting and civilians, slide 17. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own account of its procedure.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2015. The 2014 Gaza Conflict: Factual and Legal Aspects, Chapter VI: IDF Conduct of Operations During the 2014 Gaza Conflict. Dated May 2015, released 14 June 2015. gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023. Hamas-Israel Conflict 2023: Frequently Asked Questions. Updated to 8 December 2023. gov.il. Official or primary record.
