Haaretz (“IDF Drone Bombed World Central Kitchen Aid Convoy Three Times, Targeting Armed Hamas Member Who Wasn’t There“):
The Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in the Gaza Strip on Monday night was launched because of suspicion that a terrorist was travelling with the convoy.
An Israeli drone fired three missiles one after the other at a World Central Kitchen aid convoy, that left Monday night to escort an aid truck to a food warehouse in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to defense sources familiar with the details.
According to the defense sources, the cars were clearly marked on the roof and sides as belonging to the organization, but the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route that the convoy travelled identified an armed man on the truck and suspected that he was a terrorist.
Until the actions that preceded the strike, carried out by a Hermes 450 drone, were completed, the truck reached the warehouse with the World Central Kitchen’s three cars, with seven volunteers in them – two dual-national Palestinians (U.S. and Canada) and five citizens of Australia, the UK, and Poland.
A few minutes later, the three cars left the warehouse without the truck, on which the ostensibly armed man was located. According to the defense sources, that armed man did not leave the warehouse. The cars travelled along a route preapproved and coordinated with the IDF.
[…]
“It’s frustrating,” one of the defense sources told Haaretz. “We’re trying our hardest to accurately hit terrorists, and utilizing every thread of intelligence, and in the end the units in the field decide to launch attacks without any preparation, in cases that have nothing to do with protecting our forces.”
The IDF understands that this is a serious incident that is liable to have far-reaching effects on the continued combat in Gaza, because of deteriorating international legitimacy in recent weeks. The defense establishment is preparing to send representatives to the dead volunteers’ countries, to personally present to senior government officials the findings of the investigation that the army announced on Monday night.
NYT (“What We Know About the Strike That Killed 7 World Central Kitchen Workers“) adds:
The Israeli military had been informed of aid workers’ movements, the charity said. Aid workers had just unloaded more than 100 tons of food brought to Gaza by sea at the warehouse, according to the group.
[…]
On Tuesday, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman of the Israeli army, said the circumstances behind the strike were still being investigated “at the highest levels.” He said the investigation had been referred to the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, a military body tasked with investigating accusations of probing the circumstances behind battlefield incidents.
“We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further,” he said. “This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again.”
The Israeli military said the mechanism was an “independent, professional, and expert body.” Human rights groups have generally been critical of the Israeli military’s ability to transparently investigate itself, charging that probes are often long and rarely lead to indictments.
Bellingcat’s Nick Waters declares “Strike That Killed World Central Kitchen Workers Bears Hallmarks of Israeli Precision Strike.”
The destroyed vehicles bear the hallmarks of a precision strike, which only the IDF has the capability to conduct in the region. Images from the aftermath of the strike show that the WCK vehicles were white and at least one had the WCK logo and name clearly marked on the roof.
There is a whole lot of detail and photographic evidence but it may actually be overtaken by events. The Haaretz report makes it clear that the attack was indeed a precision strike, carried out by a Hermes 450 drone, against a specific target. That they got it wrong isn’t that big a shock. Or that innocents died as a result. That happens in war and it’s a risk aid workers knowingly take. Indeed, BBC reports, “The war in Gaza has led to at least 196 aid workers being killed before last night’s attack on the seven WCK workers, according to data from the Aid Worker Security Database.”
What’s harder to understand is how the IDF, which according to multiple credible reports, was in coordination with WFK, made this particular mistake. The notion that they intentionally targeted WFK just makes no sense.
While all of the reports emphasize that the vehicles were clearly marked, the photographic evidence shows that the markings weren’t exactly designed to be easily identifiable from the air:
These look to be signs printed out and taped to the roof and windshield. The roof sign, in particular, white paper on a white roof, isn’t exactly designed to catch the eye. I’m not blaming the victims here; I’m simply assessing whether it would be possible for a drone operator to miss the signs. I’d say absolutely—especially since the attack happened at night.
Regardless, the fallout is swift. Lots of reaction in the above-linked BBC live blog.
- [The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland] says WCK had close coordination with the Israeli Defence Forces and always notified them about their movements in what is called a “deconfliction” system. “This is a war machine totally out of control in Gaza,” he says, adding that more aid workers have been killed in Gaza “than in any other conflict”.
- Polish President Andrzej Duda is echoing calls made earlier by several world leaders as he demands an explanation for the deaths of the volunteers killed in the Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the death of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom was a “tragedy that should never have occurred” and calls for “full accountability”.
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he is “shocked and saddened”, adding “clearly there are questions that need to be answered”. British nationals are reported to have been killed.
- Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorksi says he is personally asking for an “urgent explanation” from the Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne into reports that a Pole was among those killed.
- The White House says it is “heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike”. US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson urges Israel to “swiftly investigate what happened”.
- President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pays tribute to the aid workers who lost their lives and sends her “deepest condolences to their families and friends”.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams (“Deadly convoy attack is a disaster for Israel’s image“):
If an Israeli airstrike was responsible for taking the lives of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers – and the evidence available so far points in that direction – then this is a disaster for WCK, the people of Gaza, and Israel’s image.
As Israel moves to ban UNRWA – the main UN organisation responsible for the Welfare of Palestinian (UNWRA) in the Gaza Strip – it has come to rely heavily on other humanitarian organisations.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused UNWRA of employing more than 2,000 members of Hamas.
WCK, which has been on the ground for months and which had just brought in a second 400 tonne shipment of aid by sea from Cyprus, is playing an increasingly prominent and important role in preventing Gaza from sliding into famine.
Israel has trumpeted the role of WCK and other aid organisations as proof UNRWA is no longer needed.
At a recent briefing, Israeli diplomats said WCK had “come out of nowhere and has become around 13% of the food story inside Gaza”.
It also says it is doing everything in its power to facilitate the distribution of aid throughout the Gaza Strip.
Last night’s deadly attack on the WCK convoy will make it harder for Israel to sustain that narrative.
Again, the fog of war often has tragic consequences. But this looks very, very bad for Israel.
