Israel-Gaza: IDF sacks officers over World Central Kitchen convoy attack
Desk report: Two senior Israeli military officers have been sacked after seven aid workers were killed in missile strikes in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called the killing of staff from World Central Kitchen (WCK) a “grave accident”.
Drone operators did not follow rules and thought WCK’s cars were carrying Hamas gunmen, its inquiry says.
WCK called the IDF’s apology “cold comfort” for the aid workers’ families and urged an independent investigation.
The IDF launched an internal investigation into the deaths after coming under intense international pressure to explain the circumstances.
Its findings were published on Friday alongside an admission of “serious failure” and the announcement that an IDF colonel and major were being dismissed as a result.
Three commanders have been formally reprimanded for their overall responsibility in the strikes, which the IDF said were carried out in breach of army rules.
The IDF said those who carried out the attack could also face criminal prosecution.
In the space of four minutes on 1 April, seven people working for WCK were killed when three missiles destroyed their cars one by one.
The charity’s team had been authorised by the Israeli military to help transfer aid supplies from the coast to a warehouse, but a series of mistakes and miscommunications on the part of the IDF made them a target.
In a briefing for journalists on how the incident played out, the IDF said its drone operator identified what appeared to be a gunman on top of one of the aid trucks being escorted by WCK.
After the aid convoy reached its warehouse destination, a car carrying what the IDF said were gunmen headed north, while the WCK aid workers began driving south in vehicles marked with the charity’s logo.
The investigation found those markings were not visible at night, and attempts to contact the aid workers failed.
After a drone operator mistook a bag being held by an aid worker for a gun, the military unit began targeting it with missile strikes.
