An Israeli inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure by the military, with the result that two officers have been dismissed and senior commanders formally reprimanded.
The inquiry found Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drone strikes hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group late on Monday night, and that standard procedures had been violated.
“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,” the military said in a statement issued on Friday.
The killing of the seven aid workers, who included citizens of Britain, Australia and Poland, a dual U.S. Canadian national and a Palestinian colleague, triggered global outrage this week.
They believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen…who were driving in a van that said “World Central Kitchen” on the roof? Pardon me if that does not seem like the most believable thing.
They can say it was at night so they couldn’t read the logo or whatever. Regardless, the command structure that allowed this blindfolded and earplugged strike, where command authorities aren’t informed of the coordination between aid groups and the IDF contacts extends beyond just the people fired and reprimanded.
Their excuses for these types of mistakes indicate a structured campaign of indiscriminate murder.