Israeli tank fire killed a United Nations worker in Gaza last month, according to initial findings from an investigation by Israel's military, which initially denied operating in the area.
On 19 March, the United Nations Office for Project Services announced the death of one of its employees in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah when an unidentified piece of "explosive ordnance" hit their building.
"According to the findings collected so far, the examination indicates that the fatality was caused by tank fire from IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops operating in the area," the military said in a statement on Thursday.
"The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility."
At the time, an Israeli army spokesperson told the Agence France-Presse news service: "There was no IDF operational activity there and that the IDF didn't strike the UN compound."
Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein also said on 19 March "the initial examination found no connection ... whatsoever" to Israeli military activity, though the circumstances were under investigation.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric later said "an Israeli tank" had hit the UN compound, killing a Bulgarian employee and severely wounding six others.
The killing came a day after Israel renewed its intense bombardment of the Palestinian territory following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
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Israel's military said in a statement on Thursday it "regrets this serious incident and continues to conduct thorough review processes ... to prevent such events in the future".
"We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family," it said.
The military said it had shared its initial findings with the UN.
The latest investigation findings come after the military reported on a separate investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency workers in Gaza.
The military admitted that mistakes led to their deaths and said a field commander would be dismissed.
