(RightWing.org) – The Israeli military says an air strike that killed seven aid workers was an accident caused by “the fog of war,” and happened because commanders mistakenly believed Hamas terrorists were traveling in a convoy of aid vehicles. Faced with international outrage over the incident, several officers have been disciplined already. Now the US and UK are pressuring the Jewish state to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
On April 1, three vehicles belonging to World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid agency set up by New York celebrity chef Jose Andres, were attacked by the Israeli Air Force. Seven people died, including three British military veterans working for a private security company. Israel’s allies were furious at the attack, and Andres is claiming it was deliberate. However, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are vigorously denying that allegation.
According to the IDF, surveillance assets had identified at least two Hamas terrorists on a UN convoy delivering food to a depot in Gaza. Not long after the convoy arrived, three WCK vehicles left the depot. All three had the charity’s logo painted on the roof, but in the dark, the sensors on the Israeli drone following them couldn’t see the logos.
The IDF says commanders mistakenly believed the terrorists were in the vehicles, and ordered the attack. However, WCK coordinates its movements with the IDF, so they should have known it was a charity convoy.
The IDF has already carried out its own investigation and concluded “the incident should not have occurred.” The report described it as a “grave mistake,” and blamed “errors in decision-making” and a violation of IDF Standing Operating Procedures.
The chief of staff and the fire support commander of brigade responsible for that area have been dismissed, and the brigade commander, the commander of the 162nd Division, and the commander of the IDF’s Southern Command have been formally reprimanded.
However, Israel’s allies are calling for more to be done — and some are using the tragedy to increase pressure for a ceasefire.
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