New Delhi: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Friday announced that multiple errors, including ignoring standard operating procedures, misidentification of targets, and mistaken decision-making, led to the strike on an aid convoy on 1 April in Gaza, killing seven humanitarian workers of the World Central Kitchen (WCK).
The conclusion arrived at by the joint chiefs of staff’s fact-finding and assessment mechanism led by Major General (res.) Yoav Har-Even led to the dismissal of two officers in the IDF — a colonel and a major.
“The investigation’s findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred. Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not World Central Kitchen (WCK) employees,” said the IDF in a statement.
The statement added: “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 statement also said that IDF Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi would also formally reprimand a brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander.
The strikes, which occurred on the night of 1 April between 11.09 pm and 11.13 pm killed six foreign nationals — a US-Canada dual citizen, citizens from Poland, Australia, and the UK, and a Palestinian.
Three Israeli drones struck the WCK convoy of three vehicles, which had clear markings and communicated with the IDF before departing at 10 pm along the coastal road in Gaza.
The WCK, founded by Spanish-American chef José Andrés, had distributed over 42 million meals in Gaza before ceasing operations in the wake of the IDF attack. The organisation called for an independent investigation into the attack on its convoy by the IDF.
“We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,” said the WCK in its statement Friday.
The statement added: “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. Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.”
The attack on the aid convoy led to global condemnation, including from the US, the UK, and Canada. The White House, at the time, was said to be “outraged” by the attack on the WCK humanitarian workers.
US President Joe Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Thursday night called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, adding that Washington D.C.’s future policy on Gaza hinges on Tel Aviv’s “immediate action”.
“He [Biden] made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” said a statement from the White House on the call between the two leaders.
The statement added: “He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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