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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – The Israeli military said Friday it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in a drone strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven people. Aid workers tasked with delivering foodalleging that they mishandled important information and violated the military’s rules of engagement.
The retired general’s findings into Monday’s killing are an embarrassment for Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the United States, for not doing enough to protect civilians in Gaza from war with Hamas. showed a confession.
The results of this investigation are likely to renew doubts about the Israeli military’s decision-making. Palestinian, aid organization And human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of recklessly firing on civilians throughout the conflict, an accusation Israel denies.
“This is a tragedy,” military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari told reporters. “This is a serious incident for which we are responsible, it should never have happened and we will make sure it never happens again.”
As pressure mounts to hold Israel accountable, Hagari and other officials shared the military’s unusually quick and detailed findings with reporters late Thursday.
It is unclear whether the punishment and apology will calm the international backlash against the dead. World Central Kitchen employees Or reassure international aid groups that nearly a third of the population is safe to resume operations in the Gaza Strip. on the brink of starvation.
According to Israeli military regulations, the spokesperson said, a target must be visually identified as a threat for several reasons before being attacked. However, an investigation revealed that the colonel authorized a series of deadly drone attacks on the convoy based on one major’s observation (from grainy drone camera footage) that someone in the convoy was armed. found. That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.
The colonel and major were dismissed and three other officers were disciplined, the military said. The report said the findings will be handed over to the military’s attorney general, who will decide whether the officers and those involved in the killing should face further punishment or be prosecuted.
The killing was condemned by Israel’s closest allies and sparked new criticism of Israel’s actions. War lasting about 6 months With Hamas.
The aid workers were three British, Polish, Australian and Canadian-American dual nationals, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, an international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andrés. . The Palestinian driver was also killed.
The investigation revealed two major areas of misconduct.
Police accused officers of failing to read a message warning forces that cars, not aid trucks, were transporting charity workers from warehouses where aid was being distributed. As a result, the targeted vehicle was mistakenly identified as transporting insurgents.
Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the World Central Kitchen logo that was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, April 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Deiya)
The military also accused the major who identified the target and the colonel who authorized the attack of acting with insufficient information.
The military said the order was issued after one of the passengers in the car was identified as the gunman. The newspaper said the military became suspicious after a man with a gun was seen standing on the roof of a delivery truck on its way to the warehouse. The military showed reporters footage of the gunman firing a gun while riding on top of a truck.
After relief supplies were dropped off at the warehouse, officers believed they found the gunman in one of the cars. The passenger was found not to have been armed, and the military said he may have only been carrying a bag.
The military initially said that one vehicle had been hit. People rushed to get into a second car, which was also struck. The same thing happened when the survivors jumped into a third car. Army officials claimed that because it was nighttime, the drone operator could not have noticed the words “World Central Kitchen” engraved on the vehicle.
The military was unable to say exactly where communications regarding the convoy’s plans had ceased.
The military declined to answer questions about whether there were similar violations of the rules of engagement during the war. During the war, Palestinians, aid workers and international rights groups have repeatedly accused the military of recklessly attacking civilians.
The investigation was led by retired general Yoav Haeven.
The seven people killed were distributing food brought into Gaza through the newly established maritime corridor. World Central Kitchen said its move was coordinated with the military and the vehicles were marked with the organization’s logo.
Andres said on Wednesday that the Israeli military “was a direct attack on a clearly marked vehicle whose movements were known.”
More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.
“Let’s be clear: This is a tragedy but not an anomaly,” Scott Paul of the humanitarian organization Oxfam said at a briefing with other relief organizations Thursday before the Israeli study was released. “The killing of aid workers in Gaza is systematic.”
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