2 Israeli officers fired after aid worker deaths
The Israeli military fired two officers for their role in the attack on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid volunteers, including one American, drawing outrage.
A new Israeli inquiry said the strike was a mistake after its forces misidentified three cars carrying World Central Kitchen volunteers as the vehicles of “Hamas operatives.”
“The incident should not have occurred,” said an Israeli Defense Forces statement on the findings. “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.”
Herzi Halevi, Israeli military’s chief of the general staff, fired the brigade fire support commander and the brigade chief of staff, and said three others, including the brigade commander, would be “formally reprimanded.”
In a statement, the World Central Kitchen said it welcomed Israel’s decision to fire and reprimand the personnel involved but said it wasn’t enough.
If Israel doesn’t ramp up aid in Gaza and implement systematic changes to ensure the safety of aid workers, “there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families,” the group said. WCK has suspended operations in Gaza.
The organization also demanded the creation of an independent commission to investigate the strikes, saying that “the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure.”
“It’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,” said WCK founder and celebrity chef José 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.”
The United Nations’ office of the high commissioner for human rights also called for an independent investigation. “The Israeli airstrikes that killed World Central Kitchen personnel underlined the horrific conditions under which humanitarian workers are operating in Gaza,” spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said Friday.
“International law requires all parties to respect and protect humanitarian relief personnel and ensure their safety, security and freedom of movement,” he continued. “Attacking people or objects involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to a war crime.”
Halevi received the IDF report after President Joe Biden said in a tense phone call Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that U.S. support in the Gaza war depends on “immediate” steps to protect civilians and aid workers.
After the call, the Israeli government announced plans to increase aid into Gaza.
“As the president said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said after Israel’s announcement Thursday.