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Israeli Army Says Series of Mistakes Led to Killing of World Central Kitchen Workers in Gaza

(Ha'aretz-Jerusalem Post) Anshel Pfeffer - The IDF drone operators who caused the deaths of seven workers of the World Central Kitchen on Monday gave the orders to fire under the impression that the vehicles they were tracking had been commandeered by gunmen. One of the vehicle's occupants was misidentified as a gunman. There was a breakdown in communications between different levels of the Israeli military, meaning details of the convoy were unknown to the drone operators. The repeated missile strikes on the second and third vehicles were against operational procedures. The WCK delegation was working in full coordination with the Israeli military. However, for reasons that were not entirely clear, the full details of the WCK convoy operating that night were not known to the command center of the Nahal Brigade, which was directing the drone surveillance of the area. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari pointed out that army orders prohibit opening fire at armed persons who approach humanitarian aid vehicles. While the vehicles targeted had large WCK logos on their roofs, the IDF said these were not visible at night on the infrared cameras used by the drones. A colonel and major involved in the attack were fired from their positions as they could have refrained from attacking based on a general concern that aid workers were involved. A source of complexity was the Toyota pickup trucks involved, which are usually a characteristic of Hamas and were not typically used by aid workers.
2024-04-07 00:00:00
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