- Israeli military errors resulted in the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.
- The military said it mistakenly identified the aid convoy as armed Hamas operatives.
Israeli's military said a series of mistakes, including a lack of communication and a violation of engagement protocol, resulted in the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza on Monday.
Workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) had delivered 100 tons of humanitarian food aid to the Deir al-Balah warehouse and were leaving when Israeli forces struck their convoy on Monday evening.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the Israeli military had taken full responsibility for the deaths.
The findings of an investigation into the incident said the military opened fire on one of the three cars in the convoy after mistakenly believing the passengers were armed Hamas operatives.
WCK had received prior approval from the army to travel in the convoy, The Times reported.
Despite this, Israeli forces had not recognized the vehicle as belonging to WCK, according to the findings.
All three of the cars in the convoy were hit by an Israeli drone within four minutes of leaving the warehouse, The Times reported. The decision to fire on the second and third car, also assuming that those passengers were armed, was against the military's open-fire engagement procedure, the publication added.
"This was against the rules of engagement," General Har-Even said, according to The Times.
The military said it had been a "grave mistake" resulting from a "serious failure due to mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures," The Times reported.
"It's a tragedy," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman, said during a media briefing on Thursday. "It's a serious event that we're responsible for, and it shouldn't have happened."
Two Israeli officers have been dismissed over the incident. In addition, the head of Israel's southern command and two other senior officers have been reprimanded.
The aid workers killed were named as Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, from Palestine, Lalzawmi Frankcom, 34, from Australia, Damian Soból, 35, from Poland, Jacob Flickinger, 33, a dual US/Canada citizen, John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, all from the UK.
"Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world's loss," Erin Gore, CEO, said in a tribute on the organization's website.
Representatives for WCK called for an independent investigation into the deaths in an online statement shared on Thursday.
"We have asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, and the United Kingdom to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law," the statement said.
"It's not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200," WCK founder José Andrés said in a separate statement on Friday.
"All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released."
Israel's admission matters. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Thursday, their first conversation since the death of the aid workers.
"President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable," the White House said in a statement after the call.
"He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."
It was the clearest signal yet that Biden would cut military or diplomatic support for Israel if Netanyahu didn't act to protect civilians.