Israeli Military Mistakenly Targets Aid Workers: 2 Officers Fired

IDF says attack on WCK "should not have occurred"

"The incident should not have occurred," the IDF said in a statement summarizing retired general Yoav Har-Even's seven-page findings. "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."

Har-Even's investigation was carried out with remarkable expedience and explained in greater detail than is typically provided by the IDF about its actions. The findings were announced within hours of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu having a phone call with President Biden, who told his Israeli counterpart the strike on the WCK team was "unacceptable" and warned that U.S. policy on the conflict going forward would depend on Israel's actions to relieve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to the White House.

It was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.

World Central Kitchen calls for "systemic change"

WCK said in a statement on Friday that while Israel had taken "important steps forward" based on its findings, "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."

"If systemic change does not occur, we will continue to see military failures, more apologies, and more grieving families," the charity emphasized. "The root cause of the unwarranted rocket fire on our convoy is the severe shortage of food in Gaza. Israel must significantly increase the amount of food and medicine transported by land if it genuinely wants to support humanitarian aid."

The organization also urged for an independent investigation into the incident, rather than one conducted by the Israeli military.

"We are calling for the establishment of an impartial commission to look into the deaths of our WCK colleagues," the organization stated in a release. "The IDF cannot impartially investigate its own shortcomings in Gaza."

Details of the Israeli investigation's findings

According to reports from Israeli army spokespeople, targets must be visually confirmed as threats for various reasons before they can be targeted. However, the investigation revealed that a colonel had approved a series of fatal drone strikes on the convoy based on the observation of a major - from blurry drone-camera footage - that someone in the convoy was carrying a weapon. This observation turned out to be false, according to military officials.

The army announced that the colonel and the major were relieved of their duties, and three other officers were reprimanded. The findings of the investigation were handed over to the military's advocate general, who will determine whether the officers or others involved in the deaths should face additional disciplinary action or be prosecuted.

The killings were criticized by Israel's closest allies and reignited concerns about Israel's actions in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

The group of aid workers included three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian, and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom were employed by WCK, the international charity founded by celebrity Spanish-American chef José Andrés. Tragically, their Palestinian driver also lost his life in the incident.

During the Israeli investigation, two main areas of error were identified.

The investigation revealed that officers failed to read messages warning them that the charity workers would be transported in cars, not aid trucks, from the distribution warehouse. This led to a misidentification of the cars as potential militant vehicles, resulting in the tragic mistake.

Following the drop-off of aid at the warehouse, an officer mistook a passenger in one of the cars for a gunman. However, it was later confirmed that the individual was unarmed, possibly just carrying a bag.

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.

Israel vows to do "utmost to limit civilian casualties"

The investigation's findings confirm, in large part, the account of the attack given earlier this week by Andres himself, who said his team's vehicles had been "targeted systematically, car by car."

Despite the deaths of the aid workers, however, a spokesperson for Israel's government insisted Thursday that his country was setting a "new gold standard" in preventing civilian casualties.

"All I can say at the moment is to offer my apologies and say that we share in the grief," Avi Hyman told CBS News correspondent Holly Williams. "Our fight is with Hamas, not the people of Gaza, and we will do our utmost to limit civilian casualties on both sides."

But the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Thursday that it did not accept Israel's insistence that the incident was simply a mistake, claiming it was part of a pattern of deliberate attacks on aid workers.

"Humanitarian workers are protected. No ifs, no buts. We do not accept the narrative of regrettable incidents," the group said.

The Israeli investigation's findings were to be handed over to military prosecutors, to determine whether a criminal investigation was warranted.