Israel fires two officers over aid worker killings

THE Israeli military said on Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission.

It said they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement.

The findings of a retired general’s investigation into the killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gaza’s civilians from its war with Hamas.

The findings are likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli military’s decision-making.

Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict, a charge Israel denies. “It’s a tragedy,” the military’s spokesman, Rear Admiral 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 gave 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.

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 authorised 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.

The army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded.

It said the results of its investigation were turned over to the military’s advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment or be prosecuted. “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 army said in a statement when it released the findings.

The killings were condemned by Israel’s closest allies and renewed criticism of Israel’s conduct in the nearly six-month war with Hamas.

The aid workers were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. Their Palestinian driver also was killed.

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.

Tomohiro Ohsumi People row boats past cherry trees in bloom at Chidorigafuchi Moat, Tokyo, Japan, yesterday. Japan’s Meteorological Agency confirmed that the flowers on a sample Someiyoshino cherry tree in the Yasukuni Shrine were in full bloom 13 days later than average.