Israel Fires Two Officers After Grave Errors in Gaza Aid Worker Strike
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Roshan Amiri
- . April 6, 2024
- . Update: April 6, 2024 7:29 pm
Israel fires two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza this week. The inquiry found that Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drones hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group late on Monday night. It also found that standard procedures had not been followed.
The Aftermath – Israel Fires Two Officers
The killing of the seven aid workers, who included citizens of Britain, Australia, Poland, a dual U.S.-Canadian national, and a Palestinian colleague, stirred global outrage this week. In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden threatened a shift in U.S. policy towards Israel unless it reduced harm to civilians in Gaza, which had depended on aid even before the six-month-old conflict began.
The Military’s Response
The Israeli military said in a statement that “The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.” As a result, two officers were dismissed, and senior commanders were formally reprimanded.
U.S. Reaction
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that Washington was carefully reviewing Israel’s inquiry and would look very carefully at what steps Israel was taking in response to the incident. The Biden administration’s threat of a policy shift towards Israel highlights the growing international pressure on the country to minimize civilian casualties in its military operations in Gaza.
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The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The strike on the aid workers has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Hunger has spread since the fighting began six months ago, and the territory had depended on aid even before the current conflict. The loss of the World Central Kitchen aid group’s vehicles and personnel has further disrupted the already fragile flow of humanitarian assistance to the region.
The Israeli military’s admission of grave errors in the strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, and the resulting dismissal of two officers and reprimand of senior commanders, has sparked global outrage and raised concerns about the Biden administration’s potential shift in policy towards Israel. The incident has also highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been heavily dependent on international aid.
