The Israeli Army’s preliminary report concludes that the attack on the World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian convoy, in which seven of its employees died, was not “intended to harm humanitarian workers” and It was due to “misidentification.”
“I want to be very clear: the attack was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK humanitarian workers. It was a failure due to a mistaken identification: at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It should not have happened,” said Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, presenting the preliminary conclusions of his investigation.
Halevi insisted that an “independent entity will investigate the incident exhaustively,” more accurate investigations that will be completed in the coming days, and promised that the Army “will learn from its conclusions, implement immediate measures and share those conclusions with WCK and other international organizations.” relevant”.
The military chief indicated that a “command center” has already been created to improve the way in which the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is coordinated, hours after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered it, and pledged to make greater efforts to protect humanitarian workers.
Nearly 200 aid workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began. Which shows that the attack on the WCK convoy “is not an isolated incident,” denounced yesterday the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jamie McGoldrick,
“This incident was a serious mistake. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people in Gaza. We apologize for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK,” said the Chief of the General Staff.
Attack against WCK
An Israeli drone fired three times at a convoy of WCK, the NGO of Spanish chef Jose Andrés, in the city of Deir al Balah, in the center of the enclave, despite the fact that the vehicles were clearly marked with the logo of the organization.
Four foreign aid workers and three Palestinians were killed in the attack, according to details published exclusively by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
A first missile hit the car leading the convoy. The survivors ran for cover to the next vehicle, also attacked by another missile seconds later. A third came to help them and received another impact, the newspaper revealed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to admit yesterday Israel’s responsibility in that “unintentional” attack. And President Isaac Herzog last night called Spanish chef José Andrés, director and founder of WCK, to apologize for the incident.
The Army has commissioned an independent investigation to the Fact Investigation and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM), a body led by a major general, charged with providing as much information as possible to decide whether to open a criminal investigation into incidents in combat.
BY: TTU
