Israel has acknowledged a "serious mistake" made by its forces following the deaths of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in an airstrike.
The humanitarian group, known for its food aid deliveries to conflict and disaster zones, reported that the seven workers were killed while returning from coordinating an aid shipment in central Gaza.
Their convoy of three cars was struck, resulting in their deaths.
The incident has sparked international condemnation and has drawn attention to the dire conditions faced by Gaza's population.
According to the UN, over 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict so far. Oxfam's Scott Paul stated that the attack on World Central Kitchen is tragic but not an isolated incident, highlighting a pattern of aid worker killings in Gaza.
Israel's investigation into the airstrike, led by retired military officer Yoav Har-Even, revealed two main areas of wrongdoing. Firstly, officers failed to read messages indicating that cars, not aid trucks, would be transporting the charity workers.
This led to the misidentification of the cars as transporting Hamas members. Additionally, a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike acted with insufficient information.
The army claimed the decision to strike was made after a passenger in one of the cars was identified as a gunman. However, the passenger was found not to be carrying a weapon, raising questions about the decision-making process.
The army stated that drone operators were unable to see the World Central Kitchen markings on the cars due to the darkness of the night.
Har-Even stated that the incident should not have occurred and attributed it to mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and a violation of standard operating procedures.
As a result, a brigade chief of staff and a brigade fire support officer were dismissed, and senior officers were reprimanded.
The WCK, which had coordinated its movements with the military and marked its vehicles with its logo, welcomed the investigation and disciplinary actions as "important steps forward."
However, it criticized the IDF for deploying deadly force without regard for its protocols and rules of engagement, calling for systemic change to prevent future military failures.
The investigation's findings were released shortly after US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US support for Israel would be based on its efforts to protect civilians and aid workers.
Following their conversation, Israel agreed to reopen two border crossings into Gaza to increase the flow of humanitarian aid.
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