Israel admits ‘grave mistake’ and sacks senior officers after Gaza bombing kills seven aid workers

Israel has admitted its forces made a “grave mistake” after seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen were killed in an airstrike.

The humanitarian group, which delivers food aid to war and disaster zones, said the seven were returning from coordinating an aid shipment in central Gaza when their three car convoy was struck and they were killed.

Their deaths triggered a wave of international condemnation and shone a fresh spotlight on the dire conditions that Gaza’s besieged population is suffering from in the embattled enclave.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict so far, according to the UN. Responding to the inquiry, Scott Paul, humanitarian policy lead at Oxfam, said: “The World Central Kitchen attack is tragic, but it’s not an anomaly. The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.|

Israel’s investigation into the incident was led by Yoav Har-Even, a retired military officer, who on Friday said two military officers have been dismissed over the drone strikes on aid workers.

According to Har-Even, Israeli forces identified gunmen on one of the aid trucks, and after the vehicle left the warehouse thought they were located inside the vehicle and were members of Hamas.

Troops failed to identify the trucks as belonging to the WCK and then targeted them with an air strike, leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers, Har-Even said.

He added: “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 WCK employees.

“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.”

As a consequence it has dismissed a brigade chief of staff with the rank of colonel and a brigade fire support officer with the rank of major, and issued formal reprimands to senior officers including the general at the head of the Southern Command.

The WCK earlier this week indentified all those who died after the IDF struck the convoy. Saifeddin Issam Ayab Abutaha, 25, of Palestine; Lalzawmi Frankcom, 43, of Australia; Damian Soból, 35, of Poland; Jacob Flickinger, 33, a US-Canadian dual citizen; along with UK citizens John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.

The seven who were killed were distributing food that had been taken into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor.

WCK said it had co-ordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organisation’s logo.

“It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by” the Israeli military, Mr Andres said on Wednesday.