Israel has fired two military commanders and reprimanded a third over a drone strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers on Monday, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement.
The workers from the charity, which provides food relief in crisis and conflict zones, were killed when their convoy was hit repeatedly on Monday night shortly after they oversaw the unloading of 100 tons of food brought to the Palestinian territory by sea.
According to the findings of an investigation into the incident, released today, the IDF said that the attack ‘should not have occurred’. Israel apologised for the killing of the seven workers, calling the attack a ‘grave mistake’.
It found that the strikes were ordered on the basis of one major’s observation – from grainy footage – that someone in the convoy was armed, and that the IDF had spotted a ‘Hamas gunman’ shooting from the top of one of the aid trucks.
This observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said, who added that it is possible the passenger was just carrying a bag as opposed to a gun.
Reacting to the findings, World Central Kitchen’s CEO Erin Gore said the IDF’s apology offers ‘cold comfort for the victims’ families’ and the charity.
‘Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended,’ she added.
Damage to one of the three cars that was struck in the attack on Monday is seen on Tuesday
‘The investigation’s findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred,’ the IDF said in its release on the investigation’s findings.
‘Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees,’ it said.
‘The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures,’ the release added.
It goes on to say that ‘after being presented with, and considering the investigation’s findings, the IDF Chief of the General Staff’ would:
- Dismiss the brigade fire support commander, an officer with the rank of major
- Dismiss the brigade chief of staff, an officer with the rank of colonel in reserve
- Formerly reprimand the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander
The statement added that ‘the IDF Chief of Staff decided to formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident.’
Since Monday, the news of the airstrikes has reverberated around the world, with the UK, US and other allies of Israel expressing their anger over the strikes.
Those killed included three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.
The British victims were Former Royal Marines James Henderson and John Chapman and an ex-Army soldier James Kirby.
They were providing security for four aid workers, including Australian Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom, Polish national Damian Sobol, an American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.
The seven who were killed were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) said it had coordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organisation’s logo.
‘It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by’ the Israeli military, WCK founder and celebrity chef José Andrés said on Wednesday.
In a statement on Friday following the release of the findings, World Central Kitchen said the IDF had taken ‘important steps forward’ by acknowledging its responsibility ‘and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza’, while also ‘taking disciplinary action against those in command’.
However, it said, ‘it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.
‘The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF’s own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.’
The charity said it was demanding the creation of an ‘independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues.
‘The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,’ it added.
‘It’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,’ said Andrés. ‘All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.’
‘Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort,’ WCK CEO Erin Gore said. ‘It’s cold comfort for the victims’ families and WCK’s global family.’Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.’
James ‘Jim’ Henderson, 33, from Cornwall, served in the Royal Marines for six years
John Chapman, 57, from Dorset, served in the Special Boat Squadron
James Kirby, 47, was a former sniper marksman who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan
Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha 27, had worked for World Central Kitchen as a driver and translator since the beginning of the year
The Australian victim was Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom (pictured), 43, from Melbourne
Jacob Flickinger was a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Canada
Polish national Damian Soból, 35, was known as a cheerful, friendly and resourceful manager who quickly rose in World Central Kitchen’s ranks
The investigation was headed by Yoav Har-Even, a retired general.
According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli army’s rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit.
But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one major’s observation – from grainy drone-camera footage – that someone in the convoy was armed.
That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.
Har-Even’s findings mark an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies of not doing enough to protect Gaza’s civilians – as well as other protected groups including aid workers and journalists from its war.
More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.
The findings are also likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli military’s decision-making as it continues its mission to eradicate Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by the group.
Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict – a charge Israel denies.
‘It’s a tragedy,’ the military’s spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters.
‘It’s a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn’t have happened and we will make sure that it won’t happen again.’
With pressure mounting on Israel to hold itself accountable, Hagari and other officials late Thursday shared with reporters the results of the military’s uncommonly speedy and detailed investigation.
It was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.
Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen that was wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday
The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.
It faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants.
The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information.
The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.
The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks.
After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon – the military said it’s possible he was just carrying a bag.
The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car. Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words ‘World Central Kitchen’ because it was nighttime.
The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoy’s plans had broken down.
The army declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war.
‘Let’s be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,’ Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organizations before the results of Israel’s investigation were released.
‘The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.’
A billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024
The release of the investigation’s findings came as the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
Israel dismissed the finding as a ‘distorted text’.
Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.
The resolution stressed ‘the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity’.
It also expressed ‘grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’.
Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having ‘long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas’.
‘According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis,’ she said ahead of the vote. ‘A vote ‘Yes’ is a vote for Hamas.’
Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi welcomed the vote but complained that some European states had not backed it.
‘There have been calls for accountability across the world, but that position changes when we’re talking about Israel,’ Khraishi told the Council.
The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, or ‘any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions’.
It did, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians.
An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid over northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, April 4, 2024
‘The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to de-conflict military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties and to ensure humanitarian actors can carry out their essential mission in safety,’ said Michèle Taylor, U.S. permanent representative to the Council.
‘That has not happened and, in just six months, more humanitarians have been killed in this conflict than in any war of the modern era.’
In later resolutions, the Council endorsed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and denounced Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967. It said they seriously endangered the viability of an eventual Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries’ human rights records and authorise investigations.