Israel pledges "thorough investigation" into Gaza aid workers' deaths
Following a statement by Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari apologising for the attack that killed seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has issued a statement.
- Chef José Andrés calls for investigation to start "from the top"
- "After the worst terrorist attack in its history, it is time for Israel's best to show itself"
Halevi has again apologised for what happened, claiming that the incident was the result of a "misidentification" which is under investigation. Like Hagari, he also praised the work of chef José Andrés' NGO in Gaza, although the organisation has suspended its operations in the Palestinian enclave following this incident.
He also praised the NGO's work in Israel following the 7 October attack, as WCK provided nearly two million meals to evacuated residents in the south and north. "The IDF works closely with World Central Kitchen and greatly appreciates the important work it does," Halevi reiterated.
“I want to be very clear—the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification—at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.”
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 2, 2024
Watch the full statement by IDF Chief of the… pic.twitter.com/JnvoJOTVg9
The IDF chief of staff announced that the army had already completed its preliminary investigation into the attack and that the findings were shared with the humanitarian organisation.
Halevi called the incident a "mistake", which occurred because of a "misidentification, at night, during a war, in very complex conditions". "It should not have happened," Halevi said, adding that there was no "intention to harm WCK aid workers".
“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.” - Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024
Following this tragic incident, the IDF has established a new humanitarian command centre "to improve the way aid distribution in Gaza is coordinated". "We will continue to take immediate steps to ensure that more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers," Halevi added.
In addition to this new command centre, an independent body will investigate the incident, present its findings in the coming days and share them with WCK and other international organisations.
"This incident was a grave mistake. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza," said Halevi. "We regret the unintentional harm to WCK members," he stressed again.
NSC Spokesperson John Kirby: There is no evidence that Israel deliberately struck and killed WCK aid workers in Gaza.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 2, 2024
Kirby adds that to date, the US has found no instances where Israel has violated international humanitarian law in their war with Hamas. pic.twitter.com/yZThp90qnl
Chef José Andrés calls for investigation to start "from the top"
Hours earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident "tragic" and "unintentional", although he qualified that such incidents "happen in war". Chef José Andrés, in an opinion article published in an Israeli media outlet, expressed his rejection of this comment.
"The air strikes against our convoy were not just an unfortunate mistake in war. It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known to the IDF," he wrote in the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Israel deeply regrets the tragic incident which claimed the lives of seven humanitarian aid workers.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 2, 2024
Our hearts go out to their families and to their home countries.
The IDF is conducting a swift and transparent investigation and we will make our findings public.
Israel…
The Spanish-American chef also stressed that "Israel is better than the way it is fighting this war". "We know the Israelis. Israelis, in their heart of hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war," he said.
José Andrés said the investigation into the incident must start "from the top". "We welcome the promise of the government and the IDF to conduct an investigation into how and why our WCK family was killed," says Jose Andres, who also criticises the Israeli government for reducing humanitarian aid to "desperate levels".
GAZA: Images of the two World Central Kitchen vehicles hit by Israeli air strikes overnight.
— Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut) April 2, 2024
A total of 7 aid workers were killed in the attack.
The Israeli army says it is investigating the incident. pic.twitter.com/6Fyoznpkmc
This criticism of Netanyahu's government coincides with an increase in protests against the prime minister in Israel. In recent days Jerusalem has witnessed massive demonstrations led, in many cases, by relatives of hostages in Gaza who accuse Netanyahu of delaying the return of their loved ones for political reasons.
💥Day II of planned four-day anti-Netanyahu protest in front of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/SnoIpkby2S
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي💙 (@NTarnopolsky) April 1, 2024
"After the worst terrorist attack in its history, it is time for Israel's best to show itself"
In his article, the chef recalls that his NGO has helped Israeli families displaced from the north and south by the war. "We delivered meals to hospitals where hostages were reunited with their families," he says, noting that the NGO has "consistently called for the release of all hostages".
Volunteers in central Israel joined Tel-Ya—one of our local partners—to cook and pack lunch and dinner for families who have evacuated border communities. WCK is distributing meals in three cities where people are staying in temporary housing.#ChefsForThePeople pic.twitter.com/cTZy9v4aXC
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) October 19, 2023
"In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it is time for Israel's best to appear. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving an entire population," the chef argued.
"It is not a sign of weakness to feed strangers; it is a sign of strength. The people of Israel need to remember, in this darkest moment, what strength really looks like", concludes José Andrés.
The incident has provoked strong criticism of Israel from Western countries and Jerusalem allies such as the US, France and the UK. US President Joe Biden said he was "outraged" by the killing of the volunteers and called on Israel to demand accountability and to make public the findings of its investigation.
