Israel Dismisses Two Officers Over Drone Killing Of Gaza Aid Workers; US Charity Demands Independent Probe

The Israeli military said Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission.

The victims — who were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor — were killed in three air strikes over four minutes by an Israeli drone as they ran for their lives between their three vehicles. The findings of a retired general’s investigation into the Monday killings admitted a series of “grave mistakes” and violations of its own rules of engagement.

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This incident marked a somber admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gaza’s civilians from its war with Hamas. The findings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli military’s decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict — a charge Israel denies.

World Central Kitchen

“It’s a tragedy,” the military’s spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. “It’s a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn’t have happened and we will make sure that it won’t happen again.” Meanwhile, the food charity World Central Kitchen on Friday called the investigation and disciplinary actions “important steps forward.”

“However it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement,” the statement said. “Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.”

The US-based charity demanded that an independent commission investigate the killing of its seven aid workers in Gaza, saying the Israeli military “cannot credibly” probe its own failure. World Central Kitchen said they want an “independent commission to investigate the killings” after the Israeli military admitted their deaths in a series of three drone strikes Monday was a “tragic mistake”.

‘Rules of Engagement’

According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli army’s rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit. But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorised the drone strikes on the convoy based on one major’s observation, from drone-camera footage. That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said. The Israeli army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded. It said the results of its probe were turned over to the military’s advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment.

The killings were condemned by Israel’s closest allies and renewed criticism of Israel’s conduct in the nearly 6-month-old war with Hamas. The aid workers were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. Their Palestinian driver also was killed. The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.

‘Areas of Wrongdoing’

The report faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants. The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information. The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.

The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks. After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon. The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car. Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words “World Central Kitchen” because it was nighttime.

(With agency inputs)