Personnel Consequences After Israeli Drone Attack on Aid Convoy in Gaza: Army Fires Two Officers. An inquiry report speaks of a “gross failure”.
Israel has fired two officers in response to a brutal attack on seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip. Chief of Staff Herzey Halevi, the commander in charge and the chief of staff of the brigade in charge have decided to remove them from their posts, the army said.
Also, several senior commanders were reprimanded. An investigation into Monday evening's incident found that the armed forces used drones to attack three vehicles belonging to the US aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) when they mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas militants.
And international The pressure is huge
Violation of standard procedures. “The attack on the support vehicles was a grave error resulting from misidentification, erroneous decisions and a serious failure resulting from an attack contrary to standard operating procedures,” the military statement said. The investigation concluded that the incident should not have happened.
Earlier this week, Israeli forces killed seven World Central kitchen workers in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip, whose vehicles were clearly marked, the organization said. The already considerable international pressure on Israel due to its lack of concern for Palestinian civilians has been exacerbated by the airstrikes on WCK staff.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “tragic incident” but offered no apology. Army chief Halevi quickly accepted responsibility and admitted a “serious mistake”. A retired general was then appointed to investigate.
The world's central kitchen is demanding change
The World Central Kitchen called the military's investigation and dismissal of officers “important steps”. At the same time, the aid system insisted on fundamental changes. “Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and grieving families.”
The report showed that the army “used lethal force without regard to its own ethics, chain of command and rules”. The military also acknowledged that the aid agency's team followed “all proper communication procedures.”
The organization reiterated its demand for an independent, third-party investigation into the incident. Their operations in the Gaza Strip were suspended.
Poland wants to send its own investigators
The WCK aides killed were British, Australian and Polish citizens, an American-Canadian with dual citizenship and a Palestinian aide. The attack caused a crisis in Polish-Israeli relations. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the incident and the Israeli government's public reaction had “severely tested” solidarity with Israel.
So Israel's Ambassador in Warsaw was served with a protest note at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said after the meeting that Jakov Livne had apologized for the attack.
The protest note made it clear that Israel should conduct not only disciplinary but also criminal investigations against the soldiers responsible for the attack on the humanitarian convoy. “It's not an act of war, it's murder.” Poland is also demanding compensation for the family of the slain aide. In addition, Polish investigators should be involved in the investigation, Szejna said.
