Australia says Israel did not deliberately kill foreign aid workers in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza in April were not intentional, according to an Australian government review.
SYDNEY — Israeli airstrikes that killed international aid workers in Gaza in April were the result of serious operational failures but were not intentional, according to an Australian government review of the incident released on Friday.
Three Israeli airstrikes hit the convoy of aid vehicles traveling through Gaza on April 1, killing seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) staff, including Australian team leader Zomi Frankcom. Palestinians and citizens of the United States, Britain and Poland were also among those killed.
The killings drew widespread condemnation from Israel’s allies as well as accusations by some that Israel had deliberately targeted the aid workers, a claim it rejected.
An Australian review into the deaths said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) decided to launch missiles at the convoy after mistakenly believing it was being hijacked by Hamas fighters, who were in fact locally contracted security guards.
In addition, information about the WCK convoy’s movements had not reached the IDF team behind the strike, it said. This confusion was compounded because Israeli officials could not directly communicate with the aid convoy, the review added.
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