As of: April 3, 2024, 2:05 p.m
By: Alexandra Heidsiek
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Israel admits mistakes in attack on aid convoy in Gaza Strip. Netanyahu calls the attack a “tragic incident.”
Gaza – An Israeli army airstrike killed seven employees of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Tuesday. The organization provides meals to people in disaster areas, including the Gaza Strip. The aid convoy's vehicles were
hit by three rockets, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz .
Israeli general: Attack on aid convoy in Gaza was “a mistake”
“The attack was not carried out with the intention of harming the WCK volunteers. “It was a mistake that followed a misidentification – at night, during a war, in very complex conditions,” Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a video published on the X platform. The WCK logo can be clearly seen in pictures of the column. In addition, she was traveling in a currently conflict-free area, as the organization itself announced.
The World Central Kitchen had delivered 100 tons of food to the Gaza Strip before it was hit © Omar Ashtawy/dpa/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire
According to
Haaretz
, the attack occurred because Israeli commanders in the Gaza Strip lacked discipline. Many would act on their own initiative without seeking approval from above. The attack on the aid convoy was based on suspicion of terrorism. A unit spotted an armed man on a truck in a warehouse. Although it was no longer visible when the motorcade left, the drone pilots were still ordered to attack.
Humanitarian organizations complain about almost 200 victims in the Middle East war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented: “Unfortunately, a tragic incident occurred yesterday in which our forces inadvertently attacked innocent people in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war and we are investigating thoroughly.” According to UNRWA – the United Nations relief agency for Palestine refugees in the Middle East – more than 180 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza so far. There are also helpers who do not work for UNRWA.
The WCK has announced that it will temporarily stop providing aid in the Gaza Strip. Other organizations also want to stop their activities in the Gaza Strip. These include WCK's partner Anera and the US group Project Hope, which primarily provides medical aid.
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