Galit Altstein | Bloomberg News (TNS)
The Israeli army fired two officers following a missile attack on a World Central Kitchen vehicle convoy that resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers this week.
The Israel Defense Forces stated on Friday that Monday’s assault was a serious mistake due to a failure and was against their usual operating procedures. It was caused by misidentification, decision-making errors, and an attack that should not have happened.
The discharged officers held the ranks of colonel and major. Additionally, the head of the Southern Command, responsible for Gaza, was officially reprimanded by the IDF's chief of staff, Herzi Halevi.
World Central Kitchen, a disaster-relief organization founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, responded by requesting the formation of an independent commission to investigate the deaths of their colleagues despite the IDF acknowledging responsibility.
WCK stated, “The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.”
Three British nationals, a Palestinian, a Pole, an Australian, and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen were killed in the attack.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that the U.S. government is reviewing Israel’s report on the incident as part of a broader assessment of efforts to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and prevent civilian deaths.
Blinken emphasized the importance of Israel taking full responsibility for the incident and ensuring that measures are in place to prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future.
The fatal incident made headlines globally and provoked anger from Israel’s allies. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his outrage and informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that U.S. support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza relies on new measures to safeguard civilians.
After the conversation between the two leaders, Israel announced its intention to enhance the distribution of aid to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
Israel will permit aid delivery into Gaza through the previously closed Erez checkpoint in the north and increase the volume of goods entering through Kerem Shalom in the south. However, Israel has acknowledged challenges in distributing aid within Gaza.
Mistaken identity
The IDF noted that its forces observed two gunmen and approved Monday’s attack based on a commander’s mistaken belief that they were within the convoy. The forces failed to recognize the vehicles as belonging to WCK.
Israel’s conflict in Gaza, which began after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas terrorists resulting in 1,200 deaths and 250 abductions, will enter its seventh month next week. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the number of Palestinians killed has now exceeded 32,000.
Recent negotiations for a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages have come to a standstill.
The U.S. and European Union consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization.
(With help from Courtney McBride.)
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